President Trump has threatened Iran alongside added sanctions that even office of country’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei won’t be spared. He backed the decision to sanction following the shooting down of US drone in, what it claims as, international waters and among “many other things”.
However US Treasury Secretary maintained that the clampdown on Iran was well before on table before Iran shot down US military drone in Strait of Hormuz.
The aim of new sanctions is reportedly to target Ayatollah Khamenei who is “ultimately responsible for the hostile conduct of the regime”.
Meanwhile Iran’s Foreign Minister Javed Zarif responded to the new set of sanctions calling it a “despise diplomacy” by the US. Further Mr. Zarif accused the Trump administration of having a “thirst for war”.
More evidence—including encroachment of a MQ9 spy drone on 5/26, speedboat purchases & phone calls planning to attribute ship attacks to Iran—indicate #B_Team was moments away from trapping @realDonaldTrump into a war. Prudence prevented it, but #EconomicTerrorism brings tension. pic.twitter.com/LmWJTDvt2O
— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) June 23, 2019
.@realDonaldTrump is 100% right that the US military has no business in the Persian Gulf. Removal of its forces is fully in line with interests of US and the world. But it's now clear that the #B_Team is not concerned with US interests—they despise diplomacy, and thirst for war.
— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) June 24, 2019
Following the current state of developments several reports stating US is willing to add Iranian Foreign Minister on sanctions list ‘later this week’.
#BREAKING US to add Iran Foreign Minister Zarif to sanctions list 'later this week': official pic.twitter.com/TGcLqmUkFN
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) June 24, 2019
The retaliation comes in between a massive blockage from US side for several months on the lifeblood of Iran’s economy, its oil. A six month period given to its allies, ending April, to reduce the import of Iranian oil especially India, Japan and South Korea alongwith several European countries and China has heavily clamped down and the massive flow of foreign currency to Iran is since in a disarray. The effects on the majorly oil dependent economy can already be seen, with shortages of crucial food supplies, babies’ nappies among others.
In a statement at the Oval Office President Trump said the new sanctions would prevent Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and his close associates in the office from access to the international financial system. The Treasury bench added eight high-level commanders in Iranian military, including the head of a batch that the US says who shot down an American drone last Thursday.
Critics have however downplayed the new sets of sanctions and predicted that those won’t have “a substantive effect on ground” and would lead to further escalation of tension.
“In some ways, President Trump is on a collision course with himself,” said Robert Malley, the president of the International Crisis Group and a former Iran adviser to Mr. Obama." via @peterbakernyt https://t.co/QxAhpGnOe7
— Michael Tackett (@tackettdc) June 21, 2019
The rhetoric between the two arch enemies reached dangerous levels when Iran promised to responded to US retaliation by planning to violate some of the nuclear deal’s commitment, leading to European nations urged restraint for any violation of the treaty they are part of.
Iran has also accused European countries of failing to live up to their promises of protecting Iran’s economy from US sanctions.
Further some unconfirmed reports stated that ‘Trump is willing to sit down with Iran’.
US official says Trump 'willing to sit down with Iran' over new deal https://t.co/gKQ4aHIBcL pic.twitter.com/vaesUc8lQM
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) June 24, 2019
Several opinion pieces in leading dailies are reportedly saying the ‘maximum pressure’ tactic won’t succeed and termed it is an ‘deadend’ for the US diplomacy.
