Brian Hook, the U.S State Department’s Special Representative on Iran has decided to step down from his position. Elliot Abrams, the conservative politician and the current U.S Representative on Venezuela will replace Hook temporarily.

Special Representative Hook has been my point person on Iran for over two years and he has achieved historic results countering the Iranian regime," U.S Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement.

"He successfully negotiated with the Iranians the release of Michael White and Xiyue Wang from prison. Special Representative Hook also served with distinction as the Director of Policy Planning and set into motion a range of new strategies that advanced the national security interests of the United States and our allies," Pompeo added. "He has been a trusted advisor to me and a good friend. I thank him for his service."

Brian Hook, 52 years old, was appointed as the US Special Representative on Iran in 2018. He has been a vocal spokesperson for President Trump’s "maximum pressure" campaign against the regime of Iran and was leading the charge on efforts to prevent the lifting of the conventional arms embargo on Iran.

Elliot Abrams, 72, is a veteran diplomat currently serving as US Special Representative on Venezuela. In August of 2017, Abrams wrote an article stating that the western countries are fooling themselves on the possibility of reforms in Iran.