Trump increases sanctions on Iran
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – US President Donald Trump said he had ordered his treasury secretary to “substantially increase sanctions” imposed on Iran, in the wake of an attack on Saudi oil facilities that some US officials have blamed on Tehran.
He did not give details on the move and Tehran has denied it was behind the attack, which initially knocked out half of Saudi Arabia’s oil production and sent oil prices sharply higher.
However, Trump later told reporters that he would provide more details about increased US sanctions on Iran within 48 hours, after announcing them earlier on Wednesday on Twitter.
Speaking in Los Angeles, Trump said his thinking toward Iran has not changed, but declined to give any details about his next steps. He told reporters the ultimate option after the weekend strikes on Saudi Arabian oil facilities would be war, but that there were other options.
Yemen’s Houthi movement, an ally of Iran battling a Western-backed, Saudi-led coalition for more than four years, has taken responsibility for the attack, a claim that Riyadh has dismissed as an attempt to cover up for Tehran’s involvement.
One US official told Reuters the strikes originated in southwestern Iran. Three officials said they involved cruise missiles and drones, indicating a higher degree of complexity and sophistication than initially thought.
The White House and the Treasury Department did not immediately respond to requests to comment on what the sanctions could be.
But a former US Treasury official said Washington could target the Islamic Republic with so-called secondary sanctions that could hamper the efforts of European allies still party to a nuclear deal with Iran that Trump pulled out of last year.
“France has been floating the $15 billion credit line, and there’s no way I could see the Trump administration letting that happen now,” the former official said.
In early September, France proposed offering Iran about $15 billion in credit lines until the end of the year if Tehran comes fully back into compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal, but the whole arrangement would hinge on US approval.
“Though it’s presently unclear what these sanctions will target, if they are a response to Iranian escalation in the region they will need to go after any entity involved in the recent strike. Full stop,” said Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior fellow at think tank FDD. “Anything less and it will appear as if Washington is pulling its punches.”
An already tense relationship between Iran and the US has worsened over the past year, after Trump withdrew the US from the nuclear pact with Iran and six other countries saying it did not go far enough, and reimposed sanctions on Iran.
Trump said he is not looking to meet Iranian President Hassan Rouhani during a UN event in New York next week. Rouhani and his foreign minister may not attend the UN General Assembly at all unless US visas are issued in the coming hours, Iranian state media reported on Wednesday.
Some of Trump’s closest allies in the US Congress urged more than sanctions.
“It’s going to take something beyond sanctions to achieve deterrence,” Sen. Lindsey Graham told reporters on Capitol Hill. “I’m looking for a response that will be unequivocal. The goal is to deter their aggressive behavior, and we’re not there yet.” •