It looks like Trump is about to hit Iran with a bunch of new sanctions over terrorism and their ballistic missile program:
FREE BEACON – The Trump administration is expected to ratchet up pressure on Iran with a slew of new sanctions targeting the Islamic Republic’s illicit ballistic missile program and regional support for terrorism as the landmark Iranian nuclear deal hits its two-year anniversary, according to senior U.S. officials who deemed Iran in violation of the agreement’s “spirit.”
News of the new sanctions comes on the same day that Iranian military leaders threatened attacks on U.S. forces and bases in the Middle East should America move forward with new sanctions, particularly ones targeting the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, or IRGC.
The new sanctions are part of a larger White House effort to counter Iran’s massive military buildup and rogue militant activities across the Middle East, specifically in Syria, where Iranian-backed forces have launched a series of direct attacks on American forces in recent weeks.
U.S. official dubbed Iran “the most dangerous threat to U.S. interests” and promised a series of new efforts both militarily and policy oriented to combat the Islamic Republic’s illicit activities.
The new sanctions are being leveled outside the purview of the nuclear deal, meaning that they are all non-nuclear related and do not violate conditions of the deal barring the United States from engaging in such activity.
The Trump administration is continuing to perform a full-scale review of its Iran policy, including the nuclear deal. The review is set to be completed in about a month’s time, according to the administration.
This is actually good news, in the sense that we’re moving in the right direction on Iran.
Even better news would be tearing up the Obama/Iranian nuclear deal and imposing the strictest of new sanctions on Tehran. That could come in a month once their review is done – at least one can hope it will happen.
It would also be nice to hear that we are parking a fleet of ships in the Persian Gulf to monitor and intercept any missiles Iran might set off in the future. That would be a good military effort in my opinion.