Brian Hook, who will reportedly lead Trump’s transition at State Dept., accuses Biden administration of ‘appeasing and accommodating’ Iran, leading to ‘failure of deterrence’

Brian Hook, Donald Trump’s special envoy for Iran during the president-elect’s first term in office, said Thursday that his former boss has “no interest in regime change” in Tehran but does seek to isolate and weaken the Islamic Republic, and that the administration’s “deal of the century” peace plan for Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians will likely be back on the table once Trump returns to the White House in January.

Speaking on CNN, Hook declined to comment on any future role in Trump’s second administration, though the network reported Wednesday that he will lead the transition team at the State Department, citing three sources familiar with the matter.

Without asserting any insider knowledge, the former State Department official said that the incoming commander-in-chief’s foreign policy intentions are “hidden in plain sight,” pointing to Trump’s decisions during the first four years he was in office from 2017 to 2021.

The Republican president was hawkish on Iran, leaving the US-Iran nuclear deal and exacting a “maximum pressure” campaign of sanctions on the country. He cultivated ties with Sunni Arab states, ultimately brokering the Abraham Accords between Israel and several Muslim nations.

“President Trump understands that the chief driver of instability in today’s Middle East is the Iranian regime,” Hook said.

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