Pompeo accuses Kerry of an unprecedented interference in US foreign policy.

Foreign police

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday criticized his predecessor, John Kerry, for holding "irrelevant" private meetings with Iranian officials, saying Kerry was undermining US foreign policy in "unprecedented ".

Pompeo's remarks come after President Donald Trump said in a tweet that Kerry's talks with Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif were "illegal," an assertion that Kerry rejected.

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"What Secretary Kerry has done is unseemly and unprecedented," Pompeo said at a brief press conference at the state department. "This is a former Secretary of State engaged with the largest state sponsor of terrorism."

He added, "You can not find a precedent for this in the history of the United States. And Secretary Kerry should not have that kind of behavior.

A Kerry employee did not immediately comment.

The former Secretary of State defended his meetings with Zarif, who were first reported by the Boston Globe in May, during recent interviews to promote his new book, "Every Day is Extra".

Kerry told radio host Hugh Hewitt this week that he had met Zarif "three or four times" since leaving office.

He acknowledged that the Iranian nuclear deal, which Kerry helped negotiate during the Obama administration, but which Trump left this year, was among the topics discussed. Kerry also said he and Zarif had discussed other US concerns about Iran's behavior in the Middle East.

"What I did was try to get from him what Iran might be willing to do to change the momentum in the Middle East for the better. "said Kerry.

In an interview with Fox News this week, Kerry hinted that he had encouraged the Iranian government to wait for Trump to be re-elected.

"I think everyone is talking about waiting for President Trump," Kerry said.

These comments, in particular, seemed to embarrass Trump, who tweeted on Thursday: "John Kerry has had illegal meetings with the very hostile Iranian regime, which can only hurt our great work to the detriment of the American people. He told them to wait for the Trump administration! Was it registered under the Foreign Agent Registration Act? WRONG!"

Pompeo refused to say Friday if the meetings are illegal. The legal experts questioned the possibility that Kerry could be held responsible, although they note that this could depend on the specificities of the meetings.

But Kerry and his supporters said it was not uncommon for former US officials to meet their counterparts, especially in places such as international conferences.

Pompeo complained Friday of seeing Kerry and two other senior Obama administration officials – a group he dubbed "the troika" – at a major conference on security in Munich, Germany.

"I am reasonably confident," he said, "that [Kerry] was not there to support US policy vis-à-vis the Islamic Republic of Iran ", which the United States recently accused of being behind the recent shootings around the US embassy in Baghdad and rockets, another Iraqi city.

The secretary of state also denied that the US is seeking a "regime change" in Iran – as Kerry has suggested – adding, "We are very supportive of the Iranian people who have the leadership they want."

Pompeo is close to Trump and makes sure not to contradict the president in public.

He took advantage of his press appearance Friday to reiterate Trump administration warnings against other countries, such as Russia, not to interfere in the US elections. He also praised US diplomats and urged lawmakers to quickly confirm appointments to the best roles of the state department.

Pompeo expressed confidence in Trump's decision to quit the Iranian nuclear deal, calling the deal "ineffective" in banning Iran from all nuclear weapons. He reiterated that the United States took seriously the deadline of 4 November to reimpose oil-related sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

"Do not get me wrong, November 4, there will be a fundamentally different set of rules regarding whoever will deem it necessary to engage in economic activity with the Islamic Republic of Iran," said Pompeo .

The US chief diplomat was also asked about the administration's next decision on how many refugees he would relocate to the United States next year. He did not share a figure, but said that national security will be a major factor in setting the ceiling. The decision must be rendered before September 30th.

"America will remain among the most generous nations when it comes to taking people from outside our country," said Pompeo. "I think that will continue".

According to a Pew Research Center study, America has welcomed fewer refugees than the rest of the world gathered for the first time in 2017, when it hosted 33,000 refugees.