The State Department’s top negotiator for Iran told a Senate panel Wednesday that President Trump’s decision to pull U.S. troops from northern Syria will not undercut the administration’s maximum-pressure campaign on Tehran.
Iran has been a key military supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad, whose forces have moved into Kurdish-controlled areas in Syria just days after the U.S. contingent withdrew.
“The president’s decision with respect to Syria is not going to change our Iran strategy or the efficacy of it,” Brian Hook, the special representative to Iran, said.
In a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Mr. Hook declared that the administration is “comfortable with our Iran strategy in Syria” and that the latest decision to pull out U.S. forces from a key buffer zone between Turkey and Syria “does not hurt our Iran strategy.”
But his statement met with skepticism from lawmakers, after Mr. Trump’s decision sparked bipartisan opposition on Capitol Hill. Many said Tehran was well-positioned to exploit the departure of the Americans.
