Tag: Iran

Trump says he will ‘substantially’ increase sanctions on Iran

The Hill logoPresident Trump on Wednesday said that he has instructed Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to “substantially” increase economic sanctions on Iran. 

Trump’s announcement comes after Trump administration officials have blamed Iran for drone attacks on two Saudi oil sites over the weekend, though the president himself has not yet definitely pinned the blame on Tehran for them.

“I have just instructed the Secretary of the Treasury to substantially increase Sanctions on the country of Iran!” the president, who is on a fundraising tour through California, tweeted, without specifically mentioning the attacks.

View the complete September 18 article by Morgan Chalfant on The Hill website here.

Trump’s Challenge: Can His Word on Iran Be Trusted?

New York Times logoFor a president with a loose relationship with the facts and poisonous relationships with allies, the attack on the Saudi oil fields poses a challenge: how to prove the administration’s case that Iran was behind the strike and rally the world to respond.

President Trump must now confront that problem as he struggles with one of the most critical national security decisions of his presidency. Over the next few days or weeks, he will almost certainly face the reality that much of the world — angry at his tweets, tirades, untruths and accusations — could be disinclined to believe the arguments advanced by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and others that Iran bears responsibility for the attack.

If Mr. Trump tries to gather a coalition to impose diplomatic penalties, tighten sanctions to further choke off Iranian oil exports or retaliate with a military or cyberstrike, he may discover that, like President George W. Bush heading into Iraq 16 years ago, he is largely alone.

View the complete September 17 article by David E. Sanger on The Washington Post website here.

Trump ramps up rhetoric on Iran

The Hill logoPresident Trump is ramping up his rhetoric on Iran following attacks on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia over the weekend that the United States has blamed on Tehran.

Trump has hinted at the potential for military action in the wake of the attacks on two Saudi oil sites and also referred back to Iran’s role in shooting down a U.S. military drone in June, an event that ramped up already high tensions between Washington and Tehran.

“Remember when Iran shot down a drone, saying knowingly that it was in their ‘airspace’ when, in fact, it was nowhere close,” Trump tweeted Monday.

View the complete September 16 article by Morgan Chalfant on The Hill website here.

Bolton exit provokes questions about Trump shift on Iran

The Hill logoIran hawks and doves alike believe that President Trump’s policy toward the Islamic Republic will shift with the ouster of national security adviser John Bolton.

That’s provoked some concern from hawks, who worry Bolton’s departure could lead to a softening toward Iran given Trump’s flirtation with meeting the country’s leader.

They are particularly worried when it comes to the 2015 nuclear agreement negotiated by the Obama administration that has been shunned by Trump.

View the complete September 15 article by Rebecca Kheel on The Hill website here.

In a Tweet Taunting Iran, Trump Releases an Image Thought to Be Classified

New York Times logoA mysterious explosion on Thursday at an Iranian space center prompted speculation that it was American sabotage, rather than an accident, that was responsible for the third successive failure of Tehran’s efforts to show it could loft satellites into orbit.

As pictures from commercial satellites of a rocket’s smoking remains began to circulate, President Trump denied Friday on Twitter that the United States was involved. It was an unusual message because the Iranian government had neither acknowledged the accident nor blamed the United States. His tweet ended with an apparent taunt: “I wish Iran best wishes and good luck in determining what happened” in the fiery accident.

But Mr. Trump also included in his tweet a high-resolution image of the disaster, immediately raising questions about whether he had plucked a classified image from his morning intelligence briefing to troll the Iranians. The president seemed to resolve the question on Friday night on his way to Camp David when he told reporters, “We had a photo and I released it, which I have the absolute right to do.”

Donald J. Trump

✔@realDonaldTrump

The United States of America was not involved in the catastrophic accident during final launch preparations for the Safir SLV Launch at Semnan Launch Site One in Iran. I wish Iran best wishes and good luck in determining what happened at Site One.

View image on Twitter

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View the complete August 30 article by David E. Sanger and William J. Broad on The New York Times website here.

‘Absolute amateur hour’: Trump’s own officials are blasting his latest botched handling of foreign affairs

AlterNet logoOfficials within Donald Trump’s administration are expressing frustration and anger at the president’s inability to focus on how to handle Iran and vented about what one called “absolute amateur hour” at the White House to The Daily Beast.

According to the report, “The Trump administration keeps sending conflicting and contradictory messages to Iran about its terms for new negotiations,” adding that “For several months, the United States has been actively attempting to pass messages, via allies, to the Iranians in an effort to move closer to beginning formal diplomatic talks with Tehran. ”

The report notes that internal squabbles about what to do — with National Security Adviser John Bolton on one side uring military solutions and Trump on the other side not wanting to enter into a military conflict — is sending mixed messages to allies and intermediaries alike.

View the complete August 14 article by Tom Boggioni from Raw Story on the AlterNet website here.

Trump administration sanctions Iran Foreign Minister Javad Zarif

Axios logoThe Trump administration on Wednesday imposed sanctions on Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, with a senior administration official telling reporters Zarif should not be treated internationally as a “credible” interlocutor.

Why it matters: As a senior administration official noted on a call with reporters announcing the decision, Zarif is “the international face” of Iran’s government and played a central role in negotiating the 2015 nuclear deal, which the U.S. withdrew from in May 2018. This seems to be another signal from the Trump administration that punishing Iran is a higher priority than coming to a new deal

“For far too long he has been indulged as the reasonable and credible face of Iran and today President Trump decided enough is enough.”
— Senior U.S. official

An official on the call accused Zarif of “spearheading propaganda and disinformation efforts” and implementing the policies of Iran’s supreme leader and Revolutionary Guard Corps.

View the complete July 31 article by Dave Lawler on the Axios website here.

State Department aides won’t rule out existing authorizations allowing for attack on Iran

Officials would not commit on seeking congressional approval for military action, either

Senior State Department officials wouldn’t commit to a Senate panel Wednesday that the Trump administration will seek congressional authorization for a potential military conflict with Iran, nor would they promise that existing military authorizations would not be reinterpreted to allow attacks on Iran.

Rather, the Trump administration officials said they would consult and inform lawmakers of any administration plans to carry out military strikes on Iran, including actions related to the defense of U.S. troops and partner forces.

“We will certainly act in accordance with the law and seek consultations with Congress,” said David Hale, undersecretary of State for political affairs, during an appearance before the Foreign Relations Committee.

View the complete July 25 article by Rachel Oswald on The Roll Call website here.

House approves amendment seeking to block Trump from taking military action against Iran

The Hill logoThe House on Friday voted 251-170 to approve an amendment intended to block President Trump from taking military action against Iran.

The amendment would prohibit funding U.S. military action against Iran unless Congress has declared war or enacted another specific statutory authorization.

Some Republicans broke rank to support it, including vocal Trump ally Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who co-sponsored the amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Twenty-seven Republicans sided with Democrats to support the amendment, while seven Democrats voted against it.

View the complete July 12 article by Rebecca Kheel on The Hill website here.

Qatar has ties to Iran, but Trump eyes ‘investments’ ahead of talks with emir

President didn’t mention Jared Kushner’s Middle East peace plan during dinner for al-Thani

ANALYSIS — Escalating a name-calling feud with your closest ally’s envoy to your government and threatening another with trade penalties is an unconventional way to build a coalition. But amid tensions with Iran, President Donald Trump is doing just that.

The U.S. leader is slated to meet privately Tuesday afternoon with Qatar’s ruling emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani in the Oval Office. The duo will have no shortage of things to discuss, from how to combat Iran’s increasingly aggressive actions related to its nuclear program to Qatar’s ongoing spat with some close American allies.

But before his meeting with al-Thani, the president appeared to have woken up fired up. He posted tweets continuing to slam Sir Kim Darroch, the United Kingdom’s ambassador to Washington, after cables leaked over the weekend of the British diplomat describing Trump and his administration as “clumsy and inept.”

View the complete July 9 article by John T. Bennett on The Roll Call website here.