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Iran Tag

Saudi Arabia's crown prince Mohammed bin Salman sat down with Thomas Friedman of The New York Times and offered up some very choice words for Iran's leader:
Iran’s “supreme leader is the new Hitler of the Middle East,” said M.B.S. “But we learned from Europe that appeasement doesn’t work. We don’t want the new Hitler in Iran to repeat what happened in Europe in the Middle East.” What matters most, though, is what Saudi Arabia does at home to build its strength and economy.

A 7.3 magnitude earthquake shook the border of Iran and Iraq over the weekend and the death roll has risen to 348 people. From Reuters:
State television said more than 348 people were killed in Iran and at least 6,600 were injured. Local officials said the death toll would rise as search and rescue teams reached remote areas of Iran.

In a statement Friday, President Donald Trump said that "based on the factual record I have put forward, I am announcing today that we cannot and will not make this certification," of the nuclear deal with Iran. In accordance with the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act (or Corker-Cardin Bill), Congress now has 60 days to fix terms of the deal - the sunset clauses that allow Iran to ramp up its nuclear program after the accord expires, its ballistic missile program - that Trump is demanding are addressed. If Congress does not act, Trump said "the agreement will be terminated." Trump's remarks were not limited to the nuclear deal but are part of an overall refocus of American strategy towards Iran, which were laid out elsewhere on the White House website.

We blogged about the Kurdish Independence vote held last week and about the resulting international threats and tensions, including the closing of Kurdish airports. Pro-western Iraqi Kurds are disappointed by the lukewarm European response to their overwhelming victory, and can't be too happy with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's statement that the U. S. does not recognize their independence referendum. Turkey, Iran, and Iraq are stepping up their disapproval of the referendum and moving to isolate the Kurdish region of Iraq.

Last week, we blogged about today's Kuridsh Independence referendum.  Yesterday's Kurdish independence rally attracted an enormous crowd, perhaps foreshadowing nearly 80% of the reported 3.9 million registered voters turning out at the polls today. Jubilant Kurds described today as "the best day of their life" and some even took to flying the Brazilian flag because there were no Kurdish ones left.

French President Emmanuel Macron said that the nuclear deal with Iran is not enough to keep pressure on the regime since officials continue with ballistic missile tests and still try to bully regions around it. From Reuters:
“Is this agreement enough? No. It is not, given the evolution of the regional situation and increasing pressure that Iran is exerting on the region, and given increased activity by Iran on the ballistic level since the accord,” Macron told reporters in New York.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley met with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria, to discuss U.S. concerns about the Iran nuclear deal. To make matters worse, Iranian officials have warned the inspectors at the IAEA not to share any information with Haley.

Did anyone honestly think Iran would not try to find a way to restart its nuclear program? Iranian President Hassan Rouhani threatened that the country would restart the program if the U.S. imposes more sanctions. From The New York Times:
Mr. Rouhani said that a reconstituted nuclear program would be “far more advanced,” a veiled threat that the country could start enriching uranium up to the level of 20 percent, a step toward building a nuclear weapon. Such enrichment activities were a major concern before 2015, when Tehran signed a landmark agreement with the United States and other world powers that lifted crippling economic sanctions in return for severe limits on Iran’s nuclear activities.

The Islamic Republic of Iran and the Gaza-based Islamist terror outfit Hamas have decided to restore their ties, which had been disrupted in the wake of the Syrain conflict. The Shi’ite theocracy of Iran has been backing the Assad Regime and Hamas rooting for the Sunni-Islamist militia. Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Jawad Zarif hosted a delegation of senior Hamas operatives earlier this week, Israeli newspaper Jerusalem Posts reports. Hamas delegation is in Tehran to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Iran's newly appointed President Hassan Rouhani.

President Donald Trump has signed a bill that imposes sanctions on Russia for alleged interference in our presidential election and on Iran and North Korea for their missile programs. However, in a signing statement, Trump called the bill "significantly flawed." From ABC News:
The bill limits the president's ability to lift or waive sanctions against Russia and keeps in place sanctions the Obama administration imposed last year. It also allows the U.S. to deny entry and revoke visas for individuals who have engaged in certain activities, such as selling arms to the Syrian government or abusing human rights.

President Donald Trump has said that he will sign a bill that will place new sanctions against Russia, North Korea, and Iran. The sanctions against Russia have received the most attention, especially since Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to retaliate. But the bill has sanctions against North Korea and Iran over nuclear weapons and missiles, which both countries vow to continue working on.

Two years ago, former President Barack Obama agreed to the Iran Nuclear Deal and told The New York Times that "Iran will be and should be a regional power." He also said that Iran has "that ability now to take some decisive steps to move toward a more constructive relationship with the world community." Obama encouraged Iranian leaders "to seize that opportunity." Well, Obama, you got your wish. Iran seized that opportunity and has taken over Iraq. Goods from Iran fill up the Iraqi markets. Not to mention that Iranian militias had a hand in dispelling ISIS from Mosul and other areas.