Tag: Middle East

Trump friend with business ties to Middle East pushed to shape U.S. policy in the region, House Democratic report says

Washington Post logoThomas J. Barrack Jr., a Los Angeles-based investor and informal adviser to President Trump, sought powerful positions in the Trump administration in 2017 while pushing a U.S. nuclear energy policy in the Middle East that could benefit his company, according to a new report by congressional Democrats.

The allegations detailed in a report released Monday by the House Oversight and Reform Committee come weeks after Barrack was interviewed by federal prosecutors about his work for foreign clients.

Together, the inquiries intensify the spotlight on the longtime Trump friend, who played a central role in raising big-dollar contributions for the president’s campaign and inaugural committee. Multiple federal probes have been examining possible foreign influence on Trump’s campaign including through donors to his inaugural committee, which raised a record $107 million.

View the complete July 29 article by Tom Hamburger and Josh Dawsey on The Washington Post website here.

Trump to send 1,000 troops to Middle East as Iran tensions escalate

The U.S. is deploying an additional 1,000 troops to the Middle East in response to “hostile behavior by Iranian forces and their proxy groups” that threaten U.S. “personnel and interests,” acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan announced Monday.

The backdrop: The U.S.-Iran standoff is reaching uncharted waters. As the Trump administration scrambles to rally an international response to Iran’s alleged covert attacks last week, Tehran is taking a long-feared step in broad daylight — announcing it will breach the 2015 nuclear deal’s limits on enriched uranium in 10 day’s time.

  • Shanahan said the U.S. isn’t seeking “conflict” with Iran, but would “make adjustments to force levels as necessary given intelligence reporting and credible threats.”
  • Meanwhile, the Pentagon tonight released additional photos it says indicate Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps was behind attacks on two oil tankers last week.
  • While the U.K., Saudi Arabia and Israel have backed the administration’s assessment, domestic critics and some U.S. allies — including Germany and Japan — have demanded more evidence

View the complete June 17 article by Dave Lawler on the Axios website here.

Trump to send 1,500 troops to Middle East to counter Iran

President Trump on Friday announced that the U.S. will send roughly 1,500 troops to the Middle East in order to counter Iran’s influence in the region.
Trump emphasized that the new deployment will provide force protection for existing troops in the area amid heightened tensions with Tehran.
The president approved the additional forces on Thursday following a meeting with acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford at the White House.
“We want to have protection,” Trump told reporters at the White House.

View the complete May 24 article by Ellen Mitchell and Jordan Fabian on The Hill website here.

Pence delays trip to Middle East

The following article by Jenna Johnson was posted on the Washington Post website December 18, 2017:

Vice President Pence was supposed to leave on Tuesday, but his trip has been pushed to mid-January. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post)

The White House announced Monday that Vice President Pence is delaying a planned trip to the Middle East in case his vote is needed to pass tax legislation — a move that also comes amid uproar over the Trump administration’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Pence was scheduled to leave Tuesday night, arriving in Egypt on Wednesday for a bilateral meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi. From there he was scheduled to visit Israel before traveling to Germany to meet with U.S. troops. Continue reading “Pence delays trip to Middle East”

Putin is outplaying Trump in the Middle East

The following article by Ishaan Tharoor was posted on the Washington Post website December 12, 2017:

Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) talks with reporters on Capitol Hill this month. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)

Russian President Vladimir Putin made a surprise visit to Syria on Monday as part of a whirlwind Middle Eastern tour. Putin, who also stopped in Egypt and Turkey, met leaders, posed for photo-ops, inked a huge energy deal and, all in all, played the part of an influential international statesman. While President Trump has sparked outrage across the region, Putin played the role of sober and dependable partner.

In Cairo, Putin announced the imminent resumption of direct Russian commercial flights to the country for the first time since a plane bombing there in 2015. Discussions with President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi also circled around the signing of a Russian contract for a $30 billion nuclear energy plant as well as a possible agreement for the Russian air force to use Egyptian bases. Continue reading “Putin is outplaying Trump in the Middle East”

6 Countries Trump Has Already Insulted And Provoked

The following article by Steven Rosenfeld was posted on the National Memo website February 5, 2017:

President Trump, flanked by Vice President Mike Pence and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, at the Homeland Security headquarters. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Two weeks into Donald Trump’s belligerent presidency, one must ask: Where will this administration’s launch its first serious international conflict?

The White House’s announcement Friday of narrow economic sanctions against Iran, in response to its dumb test firing of a missile, came after Trump made it sound like Iran had done something outsized and horrific. It hadn’t. Still, the president tweeted hours before announcing the sanctions, “Iran is playing with fire” and, “They don’t appreciate how ‘kind’ President Obama was to them. Not me!” Continue reading “6 Countries Trump Has Already Insulted And Provoked”