Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is putting together a dedicated group to steer US policy towards Iran in the wake of President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear agreement.

The group is expected to be run by the State Department’s director of policy planning, Brian Hook.

Mr Hook was in charge of the failed negotiations with European allies to change portions of the Iran deal before Mr Trump pulled out in May, citing issues with the agreement he said left Iran capable of acts of war.

The Trump administration has reimposed sanctions on Iran since that withdrawal, and has put increased pressure on the Iranian regime to stop what it calls “malign activities” in the region. Those sanctions had eased up after the Iran nuclear agreement was first reached, after being pushed for and negotiated heavily by the administration of former President Barack Obama.

Included in the concerns held by the Trump administration are Iran’s ballistic missiles programme, as well as the country’s support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Shia rebels in Yemen, and anti-Israel groups.

The Trump administration also cites Iran's enrichment of nuclear materials to attain a warhead, but experts have said that the Iran agreement Mr Trump tore up had essentially stopped that enrichment operation.

Iran parliament reacts after Trump's withdrawal from nuclear deal Show all 10 1 /10 Iran parliament reacts after Trump's withdrawal from nuclear deal Iran parliament reacts after Trump's withdrawal from nuclear deal Iranian MPs burnt a US flag in parliament after Donald Trump announced America's withdrawal from the nuclear deal. AFP/Islamic Consultative Assembly News Agency Iran parliament reacts after Trump's withdrawal from nuclear deal US President Donald Trump displays a presidential memorandum after announcing his intent to withdraw from the JCPOA Iran nuclear agreement in the Diplomatic Room at the White House. Reuters Iran parliament reacts after Trump's withdrawal from nuclear deal Some Iranian MPs reacted after Trumps decision by shouting 'death to America'. AFP/Islamic Consultative Assembly News Agency Iran parliament reacts after Trump's withdrawal from nuclear deal Iranian lawmakers prepare to burn two pieces of papers representing the US flag and the nuclear deal. AP Iran parliament reacts after Trump's withdrawal from nuclear deal Iran said it will hold talks with signatories to the nuclear deal after Trump's decision to withdraw from the accord, which it branded "psychological warfare". AFP/Islamic Consultative Assembly News Agency Iran parliament reacts after Trump's withdrawal from nuclear deal Several Iranian MPs stood chanting in the Tehran parliament. AFP/Islamic Consultative Assembly News Agency Iran parliament reacts after Trump's withdrawal from nuclear deal Iranian MPs burning a US flag AFP/Islamic Consultative Assembly News Agency Iran parliament reacts after Trump's withdrawal from nuclear deal President Hassan Rouhani addressed the nation in a televised speech in Tehran. He said he'd send his foreign minister to negotiate with countries remaining in the nuclear deal after Trump's decision to pull America from the deal, warning he otherwise would restart enriching uranium "in the next weeks." Iranian Presidency Office via AP Iran parliament reacts after Trump's withdrawal from nuclear deal Iran's press condemned Trump's withdrawal from a multi-party nuclear deal but was divided over whether Tehran should react with patience or withdraw itself. AFP Iran parliament reacts after Trump's withdrawal from nuclear deal Trump announced the US withdrawal from what he called the "defective" multinational nuclear deal with Iran, and said Washington would reinstate sanctions against the Islamic republic. AFP/Getty

In an apparent attempt to scare off support for Iran and the nuclear agreement, the Trump administration has also warned customers of Iran’s oil production that they could face US sanctions this November if imports from the country are not significantly reduced. The goal of those warnings is to ultimately see all imports of Iranian oil stop.

Mr Hook will be trusted in his new role to watch over the implementation of the entire administration’s Iran policy, according to State Department officials.

Mr Pompeo and other US officials have denied that the Trump administration is seeking regime change in Iran, and have publicly said that they only want to see a course correction from Iran’s leadership.

The secretary of State had previously created a similar group to work on North Korea policy when he was the director of the CIA.