USA TODAY International Edition
Trump to hit Iran economy
He orders sanctions be ‘ substantially’ increased
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he would slap new sanctions on Iran but played coy when asked if he would retaliate more aggressively for what his secretary of state called “an act of war” against Saudi Arabian oil facilities.
“I have just instructed the Secretary of the Treasury to substantially increase Sanctions on the country of Iran!” Trump tweeted Wednesday morning. He didn’t offer specifics.
Trump said later that he would make another announcement on the sanctions within 48 hours.
“If we have to do something, we’ll do it without hesitation,” Trump said. “There are many options. There’s the ultimate option.”
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called the attack on the Saudis an “act of war” perpetrated by Iran.
“This was an Iranian attack,” Pompeo said as he traveled to Saudi Arabia, where he planned to meet with the kingdom’s leaders and discuss a response. He said Iran’s supreme leader “put at risk the global energy supply” by orchestrating the attack.
“We’re blessed that there were no Americans killed in this attack, but any time you have an act of war of this nature, there’s always risk that that could happen,” Pompeo said.
A Saudi military spokesman, Col. Turki al- Malki, said Wednesday the strikes on oil sites were “unquestionably sponsored by Iran.”
He stopped short of saying Tehran launched the strikes.
The Trump administration is considering a variety of steps, both economic and military, to retaliate for last weekend’s attack, which temporarily slashed Saudi Arabia’s oil- producing capacity.
Iranian officials denied any role in the attack and accused the United States of warmongering.
Tehran warned of an “immediate response” if the United States strikes Iran.
The Houthis, an Iranian- backed rebel group at war with Saudi Arabia, claimed responsibility for the strikes.
Pompeo called the Houthis’ claim “fraudulent.”
“The intelligence community has high confidence that these were not weapons that would have been in possession of the Houthis,” he said.
Saturday’s strikes hit the Abqaiq oil processing plant and a Saudi oil field, where about 5.7 million barrels of oil are produced each day.
The attacks disrupted more than 5% of the world’s daily supply.
Trump talked to other world leaders about the situation, including British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
“They condemned the attacks and discussed the need for a unified diplomatic response from international partners,” Johnson’s office said in a statement.
Iran is likely to be a major topic for Trump when he attends United Nations meetings next week.
Trump offered a small olive branch to the Iranians on Wednesday, saying he believes a delegation from Tehran should be able to come to the USA next week for the U. N. General Assembly in New York. Iranian state media reported Wednesday that Rouhani considered canceling his trip over the delay in receiving visas.
“I would let them come,” said Trump, who has long embraced the idea of meeting with foreign adversaries, including Rouhani and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. “I’ve always felt the United Nations is very important. … I don’t think it’s ever lived up to the potential it has.”
The Pentagon is planning possible military responses, Marine Gen. Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Tuesday.
Dunford stressed that economic, diplomatic and political options are also under consideration.
“In the region, wherever it originated from, the most likely threat is either Iran or Iranian- backed proxies,” Dunford said. “Without getting out in front of the Saudi investigation, I think that is a reasonable conclusion.”
Central Command, which oversees U. S. military operations in the Middle East, sent a team to Saudi Arabia to sift through traces of the weapons used to determine their origin.
The Saudis have not requested additional military resources.
Dunford noted that Iranian- backed proxies have struck Saudi Arabia several times, but the attack Saturday attack was the largest.
“Without prejudging intelligence, this looked like a very complex, precise attack, not consistent with previous Houthi attacks,” Dunford said.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R- S. C., a defense hawk and a staunch Trump ally, said new sanctions will not be enough to deter Iran from attacks.