After making his diplomatic debut in Brussels at the NATO foreign ministers meeting, new U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived Saturday in Saudi Arabia on the first stop of a swing through the Middle East.
Pompeo's senior policy adviser, Brian Hook, who is accompanying Pompeo, called on European allies and other countries to impose sanctions on Iran to weaken its missile program.
"We are urging nations around the world to sanction any individuals and entities associated with Iran's missile program, and it has also been a big part of discussions with Europeans," Hook told reporters in Riyadh.
The three-day trip, during which the secretary is expected to brief U.S. allies on administration policy toward Iran, will also include stops in Israel and Jordan.
Friday, Pompeo said no decision had been made on whether President Donald Trump would withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, adding that negotiations were ongoing.
At his first news conference in his new job, Pompeo said, "Absent a substantial fix, absent overcoming the shortcomings, the flaws of the deal, he [Trump] is unlikely to stay in that deal past this May."
Pompeo said he had discussed the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, with his NATO counterparts. The top U.S. diplomat said this issue most likely would be high on the agenda when he traveled to the Middle East after leaving Brussels.
Pompeo also fielded questions on countering Russian attacks on Western democracy, Ukraine, his visit to North Korea and morale at the State Department. Asked about a demoralized workforce in Washington, Pompeo said he had met with State Department officers at the NATO mission in Brussels. He said they might have been demoralized but seemed in good spirits.
"They are hopeful that the State Department will get its swagger back, that we will be out doing the things that they came on board at the State Department to do, to be professional, to deliver American diplomacy around the world. That is my mission set," he said.
Pompeo indicated he would meet with State Department employees Tuesday after returning to Washington.
Asked about his recent meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Pompeo declined to say whether Kim was stable. Pompeo did say he believed Kim was serious about a planned summit with Trump. Pompeo congratulated South Korea and North Korea on a historic meeting and the Korean people's aspirations for peace and prosperity.
"Let there be no doubt, we would not be where we are today without President Trump's maximum-pressure campaign, and the work that has been done all around the world to apply pressure to North Korea," he said.
Making his first trip hours after he was confirmed sent a strong signal of U.S. support to its NATO allies, Pompeo said.
"I hopped straight on a plane and came straight here," he told NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. "There's good reason for that. The work that's being done here today is invaluable and our objectives are important and this mission means a lot to the United States of America."
Pompeo said Trump "very much wanted me to get here."
Stoltenberg and other leaders in Brussels said they appreciated Pompeo's quick action to attend Friday's talks.
"I feel that that's a great expression of the importance of the alliance and the importance we attach to the alliance, and I very much look forward to talking with you on the need to adapt NATO to a more demanding security environment," the NATO secretary-general told Pompeo.
Stoltenberg added, "Your valued and long experience will make you a perfect person to be the top diplomat of the United States."
International leaders and foreign policy experts will most likely observe Pompeo closely in his first weeks on the job to get a read on where the United States stands, as North Korea, Syria and Iran dominate headlines.
Pompeo is said to be more hawkish on the Iranian government than his predecessor, Rex Tillerson, who wanted the U.S. to stay in the Iran nuclear agreement.
Trump abruptly fired Tillerson last month, hours after the then-secretary had returned from a trip to Africa. Trump said he and Pompeo were much more "on the same wavelength" on Iran and other issues.
During Pompeo's confirmation hearing, a number of Democratic senators expressed concern that he was too close to Trump and might not stand up to the president when the two disagreed on policy.
Republican lawmakers said Pompeo's close relationship with Trump would be a great asset on the world stage.
