WASHINGTON, D.C.—In a sweeping move to align U.S. foreign policy with the insights of NCAA basketball coaches, the State Department announced Tuesday that former Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl will assume full command over all Middle East decisions, following his recent tweet demanding a ‘free Iran’ and robust support for Donald Trump.

Pearl, who once led the Tigers to a Final Four after skillfully exploiting a 2-3 zone, described Iran as ‘the head of the snake,’ a term State Department officials immediately adopted for all official briefings. ‘When Coach Pearl calls a play, America listens,’ said Undersecretary of Defense Chip Duncan, sporting Auburn-orange face paint and clutching a foam finger. ‘If he can diagram an inbound play in 1.2 seconds during March Madness, imagine what he can do with a Tomahawk missile.’

Pearl’s sudden rise to the top of U.S. geopolitical strategy comes as the White House reportedly considers input from other legendary NCAA figures. ‘Honestly, I’d feel safer if the entire Big Ten was running joint chiefs,’ said Fox News military analyst Riley Swisher. ‘If Coach K says it’s time to bomb Belarus, who am I to argue?’

Amid speculation about his foreign policy style, Pearl assured Americans he would deploy a ‘full-court press on nuclear proliferation.’ When asked about possible diplomatic channels, Pearl explained, ‘Look, if you can handle Kentucky’s press, you can handle Tehran.’

Meanwhile, former assistant coach and aspiring Secretary of State Sonny Shupe tweeted: ‘If we can topple Kentucky, we can topple the ayatollahs.’ Vegas odds on World Peace now stand at 150-to-1.