Pompeo discusses North Korea in first TV interview as Secretary of State

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Sunday, April 29, 2018
Mike Pompeo sits for first interview as Secretary of State
Mike Pompeo discussed North Korea's agreement with South Korea during his first interview as Secretary of State.

In his first television interview since meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed the importance of the images showing Kim Jong Un as he stepped into South Korea.

"I think it's a big deal. It's important. Every step along the way matters," Pompeo said on This Week with George Stephanopoulos.

Pompeo also reiterated President Trump's position that the United States will continue to keep pressure on North Korea.

"This administration has its eyes wide open," Pompeo said. "We know the history...we're not going to take promises. We're not going to take words. We're going to look for actions."

In his first foreign trip since being sworn in, Pompeo met with the Saudi foreign minister to call for unity in the Gulf region.

"We'll continue to work closely with our Saudi partners to counter threats to this country's security," Pompeo said of the visit. "That, of course, starts with Iran."

Pompeo then traveled to Israel to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Pompeo called Israel an important partner.

"We remain deeply concerned about Iran's dangerous escalation threats to Israel and the region," he said.

Both Israel and Saudi Arabia are fierce rivals of Iran and have welcomed the Trump administration's hard line towards the Iranian government.

"It is indeed the greatest sponsor of terrorism in the world, and we are determined to make sure it never possesses a nuclear weapon," Pompeo said of Iran.

Netanyahu praised President Trump's position on stopping Iranian aggression.

"That aggression is growing manifold since the signing of the nuclear deal," Netanyahu said.

Secretary Pompeo has indicated the United States will pull out of the Iran nuclear deal if it is not re-negotiated.