The Hill- Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said in a new interview that the United States has never let go of its push for regime change in his country.

�Well, I think the United States has never abandoned the idea of regime change in Iran. Now they are more explicit about stating it,� Zarif told CBS�s �Face the Nation� when asked about the appointment of National Security Adviser John Bolton and CIA Director�Mike Pompeo�as�President Trump's new secretary of State.

Bolton and Pompeo are both known for hawkish positions on Iran, while Bolton ardently opposed the Iran nuclear accord reached under the Obama administration.

Zarif during the interview said the U.S. is accustomed to autocratic rulers in the Middle East who rely on the U.S. for support, arguing America has not been able to �impact� Iran�s people since the 1979 revolution.

�The point is they�re used to dictators in our region who rely on them. As President Trump said, we cannot live without U.S. support for two weeks,� Zarif said. �That's the type of regime that they�re used to and that is why they so readily talk about regime change.�

Trump, for his part, has also criticized the government in Iran and said earlier this year that the Iranian people would receive �great support� from America �at the appropriate time.�