US: Mike Pompeo takes oath as new Secretary of State

Pompeo , 54, was administered the oath of office by Vice President Mike Pence. He replaces Rex Tillerson, who was fired by President Trump in March.

Mike Pompeo: AFP PHOTO / JIM WATSON

Washington: Former CIA director Mike Pompeo was today sworn-in as the US Secretary of State and immediately vowed to look into the "flawed" Iran nuclear deal criticised by President Donald Trump. Pompeo , 54, was administered the oath of office by Vice President Mike Pence. He replaces Rex Tillerson, who was fired by President Trump in March. He is the 70th Secretary of State. Trump drove down to the State Department for the formal swearing in ceremony of Pompeo. This was his first trip to the State Department. Ahead of the swearing in ceremony, President Trump praised Pompeo as "a true American patriot". "He has devoted many years of his life to defending America beginning when he entered West Point, and as you all heard, he entered at 18 and ended up graduating first in his class," Trump said. "One thing is certain: This administration will not repeat the mistakes of the past. Our eyes are wide open. It's time to solve this once and for all. A bad deal is not an option. The American people are counting on us to get this right," the president said. In remarks following his oath, Secretary of State Pompeo made it clear that Korea and Iran would be his immediate top priority. He touted the work the Department has done under the Trump administration, including considering next steps for the "flawed" Iran nuclear deal, CNN reported. "We are but 15 months into this administration and we've made an outstanding progress by speaking the truth about the challenges we face, by confronting them head on," Pompeo said. "We're confronting all types of Iranian hostility and are deciding on the next steps for the flawed JCPOA. We've imposed real consequences on Russia for its acts of aggression, he said. President Trump has frequently criticised the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA. Trump has set a May 12 deadline for the US and Europe to address the issues he has with the nuclear deal  under US law, the President has to recertify the deal every few months. The Iran nuclear deal was reached in Vienna in July 2015 between Iran and the P5 (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council) plus Germany and the European Union. Asserting that the Trump Administration will not repeat the mistakes of the past, Pompeo said that it is time to resolve the Korean issue once and for all. "Right now, we have an unprecedented opportunity to change the course of history on the Korean Peninsula. I underscore the word opportunity. We're in the beginning stages of the work, and the outcome is certainly yet unknown," he said. Pompeo also said the US would soon move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. “We are bringing fairness and reciprocity to our economic relationship with China and protecting our intellectual property from them, as well. And we saw in your meetings last week with President Macron and Chancellor Merkel, we continue to uphold and strengthen our time-honored alliances," he added.