The State Department reportedly awarded federal security to former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and one of his top aides earlier this month, citing fears about threats from Iran.
According to the news site, which acquired State Department letters issued to Congress last week, threats against Pompeo and Brian Hook, former President Trump’s special envoy to Iran, apparently remained “serious and credible.”
During the Trump administration, Pompeo and Hook led the US maximum pressure campaign against Iran, which saw the U.S. assassinate Qasem Soleimani.
According to allegations last summer, Pompeo and former National Security Adviser John Bolton were previously targeted by an Iranian murder plot.
The Biden administration initiated indirect discussions with Iran in April 2021, but the conversations have since broken down. Biden pronounced the discussions between the two countries “dead” in a video released last month.
This is reportedly the seventh time Pompeo’s protection has been extended, and the tenth time Hook’s protection has been extended since they left office.
The Associated Press earlier reported that the State Department is paying Pompeo and Hook $2 million per month for 24-hour protection as of March.
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