6/19/2019

ARMS-WEAPONS/IRAN/SAUDI ARABIA/SENATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Senate has agreed to vote Thursday [6-20-19] on blocking President Donald Trump’s arms sale to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell laid out an agreement on the Senate floor Wednesday for senators to vote on 22 resolutions to terminate a series of weapons sales rolled […]

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6/19/2019

EU/IRAN/NUCLEAR/SANCTIONS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “As the Trump administration continues its hardline approach on Iran, the European Union — in a bid to preserve the Iran nuclear deal — is reluctant to impose sanctions for potential violations of that deal, two diplomatic sources told CNN. Federica Mogherini, the top EU foreign affairs official, has conveyed this sentiment […]

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6/19/2019

9/11/CONGRESS/IRAN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WAR: “In public remarks and classified briefings, Trump administration officials keep emphasizing purported ties between Iran and Al Qaeda. Some lawmakers suspect that the executive branch is toying with claiming that it already has congressional authorization to attack Iran based on the nearly 18-year-old law approving a war over the Sept. 11, 2001, […]

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6/17/2019

IRAN/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “After coming to office vowing to solve two very different nuclear crises, President Trump finds himself in a bind familiar to his predecessors: careening toward a confrontation with Iran and stalemated with North Korea. Iran’s announcement on Monday [6-17-19] that it expects within 10 days to blow past the limits on […]

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6/17/2019

EU/IRAN/MIDDLE EAST/MILITARY/NUCLEAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump is at a make-or-break moment with Iran. Tehran said Monday [6-17-19] it will soon take steps that likely violate the 2015 nuclear deal Trump himself abandoned, an announcement that came just days after the U.S. accused the Islamist-led country of sabotaging international oil tankers. The Pentagon announced Monday […]

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6/14/2019

IRAN/MILITARY/OIL/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WAR: “The Trump administration began an urgent debate on Friday [6-14-19] over how to respond to what officials say has grown into a shadow war with Iran, after attacks on oil tankers in the Persian Gulf that appeared meant to assert Iranian control over one of the world’s most strategic shipping lanes at […]

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6/14/2019

IRAN/SANCTIONS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WAR: “The drumbeat of war between the United States and Iran grew louder on Friday [6-14-19] as President Donald Trump flatly rejected Tehran’s insistence that it had nothing to do with a pair of oil tanker explosions this week…The remarks are the latest instance of the Trump administration ratcheting up pressure on the […]

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6/14/2019

IRAN/JAPAN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe discussed this week’s attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman in a phone call on Friday [6-14-19], the White House said, adding that Trump thanked Abe for Abe’s effort to facilitate talks with Iran. Trump and Abe also spoke […]

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6/14/2019

IRAN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday [6-14-19] said the Strait of Hormuz, a key commercial shipping route, would not be closed following attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, or at least not for long. Trump, in an interview on Fox News, blamed Iran for the attack on Thursday […]

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6/13/2019

IRAN/MIKE POMPEO/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s accusation on Thursday [6-13-19] that Iran was behind an attack on two oil tankers forces President Trump to confront a choice he has avoided until now: whether to make good on his threat that Tehran would ‘suffer greatly’ if American interests were imperiled. For weeks, Mr. […]

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6/13/2019

IRAN/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “‘It is the assessment of the U.S. government that Iran is responsible for today’s attacks in the Gulf of Oman….’ @StateDept @SecPompeo https://t.co/sTIB0p1kCE” –Donald Trump, Twitter.com, June 13, 2019 2:01 pm […]

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6/13/2019

IRAN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “While I very much appreciate P.M. Abe going to Iran to meet with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, I personally feel that it is too soon to even think about making a deal. They are not ready, and neither are we!” –Donald Trump, Twitter.com, June 13, 2019 1:21 pm […]

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6/13/2019

IRAN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “While I very much appreciate P.M. Abe going to Iran to meet with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, I personally feel that it is too soon to even think about making a deal. They are not ready, and neither are we!”  –Donald Trump, Twitter.com, June 13, 2019 1:13 pm […]

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6/13/2019

IRAN/MIKE POMPEO/MILITARY/OIL/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump’s statement Friday [6-14-19] that Iran was behind brazen attacks on two fuel tankers in the Gulf of Oman ignored the crucial question posed by his stakes-raising claim — about what the United States plans to do about it. Trump argued in a Fox News interview on Friday that […]

Read More… from 6/13/2019

6/7/2019

IRAN/MIDDLE EAST/NUCLEAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “It’s the Middle East arms race that many people don’t want to talk about. The White House may be preoccupied with Iran’s past pursuit of nuclear weapons and its present strategic status in the region. But simmering nearby is another rapid militarization, conducted by a favored family of the White House, […]

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5/29/2019

INTELLIGENCE/IRAN/NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “John R. Bolton, President Trump’s national security adviser, on Wednesday [5-29-19] accused Iran of playing a key role in recent attacks on ships off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, the latest instance in which he has articulated a more hawkish view than his boss toward Iran. Ratcheting up his […]

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5/29/2019

FOREIGN POLICY/IRAN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WAR: “In repeating his readiness to pursue a new nuclear deal with Iran, President Trump this week left unmentioned his administration’s aim to hobble what officials call Tehran’s ‘expansionist foreign policy’ — an ambitious priority that is far more likely to lead the United States into war. The expansive, open-ended mission of […]

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5/21/2019

CONGRESS/DEMS/IRAN/NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Top American national security officials sought to convince a divided Congress on Tuesday [5-21-19] about the seriousness of new threats from Iran as they defended intelligence that has prompted military deployments aimed at deterring attacks by Tehran. Democrats emerged from the classified briefings on Capitol Hill with sharp questions about whose […]

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5/20/2019

IRAN/MEDIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Fake News put out a typically false statement, without any knowledge that the United States was trying to set up a negotiation with Iran. This is a false report….” –Donald Trump, Twitter.com, May 20, 2019 12:30 pm […]

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5/19/2019

IRAN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “RT @LouDobbs: God Bless President Trump— Iran’s so called leaders must think they’re dealing with Bush or Obama. #MAGA #AmericaFirst #Do…” –Donald Trump, Twitter.com, May 19, 2019 9:47 pm […]

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5/17/2019

IRAN/MEDIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Fake News Media is hurting our Country with its fraudulent and highly inaccurate coverage of Iran. It is scattershot, poorly sourced (made up), and DANGEROUS. At least Iran doesn’t know what to think, which at this point may very well be a good thing!” –Donald Trump, Twitter.com, May 17, 2019 8:44 […]

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5/17/2019

FOREIGN POLICY/IRAN/OBAMA/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Pressed this week to define President Trump’s goals in escalating military and economic pressure on Iran, one of his top foreign policy aides ticked through a familiar list: End the country’s support for terrorism, stop its missile launches and then, most important, keep Iran more than a year away from the […]

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5/16/2019

FOREIGN POLICY/INTELLIGENCE/IRAN/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Republican Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho, who chairs the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has been briefed by the Trump administration about the escalating tensions with Iran. But Democratic Rep. Eliot Engel of New York, the chairman of the equally powerful House Foreign Affairs Committee, had not as of Thursday [5-16-19] […]

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5/16/2019

IRAN/MIKE POMPEO/MILITARY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump has sought to put the brakes on a brewing confrontation with Iran in recent days, telling the acting defense secretary, Patrick Shanahan, that he does not want to go to war with Iran, administration officials said, while his senior diplomats began searching for ways to defuse the tensions. Mr. […]

Read More… from 5/16/2019

5/15/2019

IRAN/IRAQ/MILITARY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WAR: “In the Trump administration’s recent bellicose talk about Iran, Iraqis hear eerie echoes of the months just before the American invasion of Iraq. Iraqi officials, wary of another war on their land, say they have warned armed groups tied to Iran to refrain from taking any action that could provoke American retaliation…In […]

Read More… from 5/15/2019

5/15/2019

IRAN/IRAQ/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The State Department on Wednesday [5-15-19] ordered the evacuation of non-emergency staff from the U.S. Embassy in Iraq, a move that comes as the U.S. government has alluded to risks of an attack by the Islamic Republic or its proxies in the region. The Wednesday order follows a travel advisory posted on […]

Read More… from 5/15/2019

5/13/2019

IRAN/MILITARY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “At a meeting of President Trump’s top national security aides last Thursday [5-9-19], Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan presented an updated military plan that envisions sending as many as 120,000 troops to the Middle East should Iran attack American forces or accelerate work on nuclear weapons, administration officials said. The revisions […]

Read More… from 5/13/2019

5/10/2019

FOREIGN POLICY/IRAN/MUSLIMS/TERRORISM/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “In Kuwait, the Muslim Brotherhood is vocally pro-American. In Iraq, the Brotherhood’s political party has steadfastly supported the American-backed political process and still forms part of the governing coalition. And in Yemen, the Brotherhood-linked party is cooperating with some of America’s closest Arab allies in a war against a faction backed […]

Read More… from 5/10/2019

5/10/2019

INTELLIGENCE/IRAN/MIDDLE EAST/MILITARY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Pentagon will deploy a Patriot antimissile battery to the Middle East to shore up defenses against Iranian threats, part of a series of carefully calibrated deployments intended to deter attacks by Iranian forces or their proxies, Pentagon officials said on Friday [5-10-19]. A single Patriot antimissile battery will return to […]

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5/9/2019

CONGRESS/IRAN/MILITARY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WAR: “When the White House suddenly announced this past week that it was deploying a Navy carrier strike group and a bomber task force to send a message to Iran, it framed the decision as having a clear and urgent reason. The announcement, issued Sunday [5-5-19] night by national security adviser John Bolton, […]

Read More… from 5/9/2019

5/9/2019

IRAN/MILITARY/NUCLEAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Days after he redirected warships toward their coast and spurred talk of U.S. military action against them, President Donald Trump says he wants to hold nuclear talks with the Iranians — and that he can help their economy get ‘back to great shape.’ Trump’s call for talks, uttered at least three times […]

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5/9/2019

IRAN/NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE/VENEZUELA: “U.S. President Donald Trump, facing the possibility of military confrontations with both Iran and Venezuela, said on Thursday [5-9-19] that he sometimes serves as a counterbalance to his hard-charging national security adviser, John Bolton. Bolton has been a key player in current U.S. standoffs with Iran and Venezuela, both instances […]

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5/8/2019

CHINA/FOREIGN POLICY/IRAN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/VENEZUELA: “Shortly before he was sworn in as president, Donald J. Trump vowed that the United States would stop ‘racing to topple foreign regimes that we know nothing about, that we shouldn’t be involved with.’ He promised to end ‘this destructive cycle of intervention and chaos.’ Two and a half years into […]

Read More… from 5/8/2019

5/8/2019

IMMIGRATION/IRAN/MIDDLE EAST/MILITARY/NUKES/SANCTIONS/SECRETARY OF STATE/TERRORISM/TREASURY/TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDERS: “I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, find that: It remains the policy of the United States to deny Iran all paths to both a nuclear weapon and intercontinental ballistic missiles, and to counter the totality of Iran’s malign influence in the Middle East. It […]

Read More… from 5/8/2019

5/7/2019

IRAN/MIKE POMPEO/NUCLEAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Iran is set to announce Wednesday [5-8-19] that it will reduce its commitments to the international nuclear pact it signed in 2015 as the US moves a Navy strike group and B-52 bombers to the region to counter perceived threats from Tehran and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made a surprise […]

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5/6/2019

IRAN/MIDDLE EAST/MILITARY/NUCLEAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump has moved closer to a military conflict with Iran than at any time in his presidency, redirecting warships to the Middle East to respond to what officials said Monday [5-6-19] are heightened Iranian threats to U.S. troops and facilities. The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier is headed to […]

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5/6/2019

FOREIGN POLICY/IRAN/MIKE PENCE/NUCLEAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “At the Munich Security Conference in February, the face of the Trump administration was Vice President Mike Pence, who urged longstanding American allies to pull out of a denuclearization deal with Iran. When President Trump needed an emissary to describe his proposed tax overhaul in 2017, Mr. Pence was deployed […]

Read More… from 5/6/2019

4/22/2019

IRAN/OIL/OPEC/SANCTIONS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Taking a cue from President Donald Trump, U.S. lawmakers could soon have a new message to foreign oil producers: NO COLLUSION! Trump regularly deploys his Twitter account to fight oil-price upticks, trying to browbeat the world’s oil-producing bloc — the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries — into boosting production so prices […]

Read More… from 4/22/2019

4/8/2019

IRAN/TERRORISM/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump said on Monday [4-8-19] that he was designating a powerful arm of the Iranian military as a foreign terrorist organization, the first time that the United States has named part of another nation’s government as that type of official threat. The designation imposes wide-ranging economic and travel sanctions on the […]

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3/30/2019

IRAN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “‘The Trump Administration has succeeded in dramatically raising the costs to Iran for its sinister behavior, at no cost to the U.S. or our allies. That’s the definition of a foreign-policy achievement.’ Bret Stephens, @nytimes We are getting stronger all over the world, watch!” –Donald Trump, Twitter.com, March 30, 2019 5:24 pm […]

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2/11/2019

IRAN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “40 years of corruption. 40 years of repression. 40 years of terror. The regime in Iran has produced only #40YearsofFailure. The long-suffering Iranian people deserve a much brighter future. https://t.co/bA8YGsw9LA“ -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, February 11, 2019 2:58 pm […]

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2/11/2019

IRAN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “۴۰ سال فساد. ۴۰ سال سرکوب. ۴۰ سال ترور. رژیم ایران فقط موجب #چهل_سال_شکست شده است. مردم ایران که مدتهاست در رنجند شایسته آینده روشن تری هستند https://t.co/nKMQCHQFCZ“ -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, February 11, 2019 2:58 pm […]

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2/8/2019

IRAN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “When Iran uses the slogan ‘Death to America,’ the country’s supreme leader said on Friday, it is specifically wishing death on President Trump and two of his senior officials…Ayatollah Khamenei has reflected on the phrase repeatedly as Iran prepares to commemorate the 40th anniversary of its Islamic revolution, and engages in an […]

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1/31/2019

IRAN/ISIS/MEDIA/NORTH KOREA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Just concluded a great meeting with my Intel team in the Oval Office who told me that what they said on Tuesday at the Senate Hearing was mischaracterized by the media – and we are very much in agreement on Iran, ISIS, North Korea, etc. Their testimony was distorted press…. https://t.co/Zl5aqBmpjF“ […]

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1/30/2019

INTELLIGENCE/IRAN/NORTH KOREA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Trump lashed out at the nation’s intelligence agencies, accusing them of being ‘passive and naïve’ about Iran’s dangers and defending his stance on North Korea. His outburst showed the rift between the bureaucracy and a president seeking to challenge foreign policy orthodoxy. • In a sharp deviation from statements […]

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1/30/2019

IRAN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “….a source of potential danger and conflict. They are testing Rockets (last week) and more, and are coming very close to the edge. There economy is now crashing, which is the only thing holding them back. Be careful of Iran. Perhaps Intelligence should go back to school!” –Donald Trump, Twitter.com, January 30, […]

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1/29/2019

DEMS/INTELLIGENCE/IRAN/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/VENEZUELA: “A new American intelligence assessment of global threats concluded that North Korea is ‘unlikely to give up’ all of its nuclear stockpiles and that Iran is not ‘currently undertaking the key nuclear weapons-development activity’ needed to make a bomb. Their conclusions challenged President Trump’s assertions on both countries. • As Senator […]

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1/29/2019

INTELLIGENCE/IRAN/ISIS/NORTH KOREA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump has previously declared that North Korea is no longer a nuclear threat, touted the defeat of ISIS, doubted the effects of climate change and railed against the Iran nuclear deal as ‘defective at its core.’ But the most senior intelligence officials in the Trump administration suggested Tuesday [1-29-19] […]

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1/13/2019

IRAN/ISIS/RUSSIA/SYRIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TURKEY: “….Likewise, do not want the Kurds to provoke Turkey. Russia, Iran and Syria have been the biggest beneficiaries of the long term U.S. policy of destroying ISIS in Syria – natural enemies. We also benefit but it is now time to bring our troops back home. Stop the ENDLESS WARS!” -Donald Trump, […]

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12/24/2018

IRAN/NUCLEAR/OBAMA ADMIN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “For all of the sympathizers out there of Brett McGurk remember, he was the Obama appointee who was responsible for loading up airplanes with 1.8 Billion Dollars in CASH & sending it to Iran as part of the horrific Iran Nuclear Deal (now terminated) approved by Little Bob Corker.” –Donald Trump, […]

Read More… from 12/24/2018

12/23/2018

ENDORSEMENT/IRAN/NUCLEAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “…..Bob Corker was responsible for giving us the horrible Iran Nuclear Deal, which I ended, yet he badmouths me for wanting to bring our young people safely back home. Bob wanted to run and asked for my endorsement. I said NO and the game was over. #MAGA I LOVE TENNESSEE!” -Donald Trump, […]

Read More… from 12/23/2018

12/19/2018

IRAN/ISIS/SYRIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration announced Wednesday [12-19-18] that all 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria will start returning home very soon. President Donald Trump, who had long expressed his discomfort with an extended military deployment in Syria, explained his decision in a tweet: ‘We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being […]

Read More… from 12/19/2018

12/18/2018

CYBERWAR/EU/IRAN/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Hackers infiltrated the European Union’s diplomatic communications network for years, downloading thousands of cables that reveal concerns about an unpredictable Trump administration and struggles to deal with Russia and China and the risk that Iran would revive its nuclear program. In one cable, European diplomats described a meeting between President Trump and […]

Read More… from 12/18/2018

12/12/2018

CHINA/DEMS/IRAN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) Wednesday [12-12-18] called President Donald Trump’s suggestion that he might intervene in the criminal proceedings of a Huawei executive for trade purposes ‘very disturbing.’ Trump said Wednesday he may get involved in the case of Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of the Chinese telecommunications firm, over charges that […]

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12/7/2018

CHINA/IRAN/SANCTIONS/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “A senior administration official said on Friday [12-7-18] that the United States had repeatedly warned Huawei, one of China’s flagship technology firms, about violating American sanctions on Iran before the arrest Saturday [12-8-18] of one of its top executives…The arrest, which was executed by Canadian authorities in Vancouver, has threatened to […]

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11/15/2018

IRAN/IRAQ/SENATE/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump is asking the Senate to approve a new ambassador to Iraq as the U.S. ratchets up pressure on neighboring Iran and as some Republicans in Congress call for a stronger response to Tehran’s influence in Baghdad. Trump on Thursday [11-15-18] officially asked the Senate to confirm Matthew Tueller, who […]

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111/8/2018

ECONOMY/IRAN/SANCTIONS/STEVE MNUCHIN/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Thursday [11-8-18] that the financial messaging service that moves money around the global banking system will be cutting off Iran’s Central Bank..The decision by SWIFT means Iran’s Central Bank will be cut off from the international banking system and will cause significant economic pain, observers say. The […]

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11/5/2018

IRAN/OBAMA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Seven years ago, the Obama administration launched a ‘virtual U.S. embassy’ for Iran, a friendly, engaging online portal that gave Iranians a window on American democracy and information about cultural exchanges. These days, the website sends a different message. Instead of being packed with soft profiles of Iranian-Americans and presidential greetings on […]

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10/31/2018

IRAN/OIL/SANCTIONS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP MEMORANDA: “U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday [10-31-18] in a presidential memorandum that he had determined there was sufficient supply of petroleum and petroleum products from nations other than Iran to permit a reduction in purchases from that country. The memorandum, addressing the secretaries of State, Treasury and Energy, comes days […]

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10/16/2018

IRAN/MILITARY/SANCTIONS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration on Tuesday [10-16-18] hit Iran with another round of sanctions, accusing the country of recruiting child soldiers as young as 12 to fight for the regime of Bashar Al-Assad in Syria. The sanctions primarily target the Basij Resistance Force, a domestic arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps focused […]

Read More… from 10/16/2018

10/16/2018

IRAN/OIL/SANCTIONS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Iran’s oil minister said on Tuesday [10-16-18] the oil market was suffering from short supply and the U.S. President Donald Trump would not be able to bring oil prices down by ‘bullying’ other nations. ‘The oil market is suffering from short supply and this cannot be resolved by words. Trump thinks he […]

Read More… from 10/16/2018

10/5/2018

IRAN/MILITARY/RALLY/SAUDI ARABIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman dismissed remarks by Donald Trump in which the U.S. president said he had warned the king he would not last in power ‘for two weeks’ without U.S. military backing and demanded he pay up…Trump made the comments at a rally in Mississippi on Tuesday […]

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10/4/2018

IRAN/NATIONAL SECURITY/NUCLEAR/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Hanging on a wall in John Bolton’s West Wing office is a memento of his proudest achievement as national security adviser: a framed copy of President Donald Trump’s order to pull the United States out of the Iran nuclear deal. Right next to it hangs a cartoon mocking the agreement. Bolton’s choice […]

Read More… from 10/4/2018

9/26/2018

IRAN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/UN: “Laughter during U.S. President Donald Trump’s speech to the U.N. General Assembly was a sign of the United States’ isolation, the head of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said on Wednesday [9-26-18], Fars News reported. Some delegates at the General Assembly on Tuesday [9-25-18] laughed and muttered when Trump, in a speech, […]

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9/25/2018

ECONOMY/IRAN/SANCTIONS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Hassan Rouhani of Iran, visiting the United States for the first time since President Trump exited the 2015 Iran nuclear accord, said Monday [9-24-18] that the only way his country would consider new talks with Washington is for Mr. Trump to reverse himself and honor the agreement. Speaking to a group […]

Read More… from 9/25/2018

9/25/2018

FRANCE/IRAN/NUCLEAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/UN: “Gone is the shoulder squeezing, the affectionate dandruff-brushing — and French President Emmanuel Macron’s hope that he could use his unlikely friendship with Donald Trump to rein in the American president’s more incendiary instincts. When the two men met Monday [9-24-18] in New York, they shook hands lightly and got down to […]

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9/25/2018

IRAN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/UN: “President Hassan Rouhani of Iran said on Tuesday [9-25-18] that the United States under Donald Trump is exhibiting a ‘Nazi disposition’ as it adopts a more unilateral worldview and reimposes a slew of sanctions on the Islamist government in Tehran. Speaking before world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly, Rouhani didn’t […]

Read More… from 9/25/2018

9/25/2018

IRAN/NUCLEAR/OBAMA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/UN: “President Donald Trump said Tuesday [9-25-18] that he will not meet with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani this week while the two are in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, but he nonetheless said the Iranian leader was probably ‘an absolutely lovely man’…Rouhani, in an interview with NBC News that aired […]

Read More… from 9/25/2018

9/25/2018

FOREIGN DIGNITARIES/IRAN/MIKE POMPEO/NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/UN: “President Donald Trump’s visit to the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week has been … confused. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo advertised that Trump would like to meet with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, and then Trump claimed (implausibly) to have turned down Rouhani’s request for a […]

Read More… from 9/25/2018

9/25/2018

IRAN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/UN: “U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday [9-25-18] the Iranians have no choice but to change before a meeting with him can occur, but he looks forward to having a great relationship in the future. Speaking before he was due to address the U.N. General Assembly, Trump said: ‘I’m not meeting with […]

Read More… from 9/25/2018

9/25/2018

IRAN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Despite requests, I have no plans to meet Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. Maybe someday in the future. I am sure he is an absolutely lovely man!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, September 25, 2018 5:53 am […]

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9/25/2018

IRAN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/UN: “U.S. President Donald Trump, in New York to attend the U.N. General Assembly, on Tuesday [9-25-18] said has no plans to meet Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani but signaled he was open to a possible future meeting. ‘Despite requests, I have no plans to meet Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. Maybe someday in the […]

Read More… from 9/25/2018

9/23/2018

IRAN/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/UN: “When President Trump made his first visit to the United Nations last year, he ridiculed North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, as a suicidal ‘rocket man’ and threatened to ‘totally destroy’ his country. He also vowed to rip up the Iran nuclear deal, which he called an ’embarrassment to the United States.’ […]

Read More… from 9/23/2018

9/21/2018

IRAN/MIDDLE EAST/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Iran’s foreign minister tweeted on Friday [9-21-18] that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump was a threat to the Middle East and to the global community…Tensions have ramped up between Iran and the United States after Trump withdrew from a landmark multi-lateral nuclear deal in May and reimposed sanctions on […]

Read More… from 9/21/2018

9/20/2018

ASIA/EU/IRAN/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/UN: “When President Trump travels to New York on Sunday [9-23-18] for his second visit to the United Nations, he will face tensions with allies in Europe and Asia — but not necessarily of a predictable sort. Administration officials contend that Mr. Trump’s well-documented rift with the Europeans over his withdrawal from […]

Read More… from 9/20/2018

9/18/2018

IRAN/MIDDLE EAST/NUCLEAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/UN: “Donald Trump sees next week’s main session of the United Nations General Assembly as a chance to condemn Iran for spreading what he’s called ‘chaos and terror’ through the Middle East. But many key U.S. allies will likely use the global forum to present Trump himself as a threat to world […]

Read More… from 9/18/2018

9/14/2018

IRAN/JOHN KERRY/MIKE POMPEO/NUCLEAR/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blasted his predecessor John Kerry for ‘unseemly and unprecedented’ behavior after Kerry said he had met Iranian officials since leaving office…During interviews to promote his new book, Kerry told an interviewer that he has met with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif three or four times since […]

Read More… from 9/14/2018

9/6/2018

IRAN/MIDDLE EAST/ NUCLEAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/UN: “Three weeks from now, in New York, President Trump will find himself in the setting he most relishes: seated at the head of a polished table, calling on those seated around him, rewarding those he likes and cutting off those who displease him. It is not a revival of ‘The […]

Read More… from 9/6/2018

9/6/2018

CLIMATE CHANGE/GERMANY/IRAN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Concern over the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump has shot to the top of an annual ranking of Germans’ biggest fears, easily outstripping worries about refugees and terrorism, a survey showed on Thursday [9-6-18]. The ‘Fears of the Germans’ survey from R+V Versicherung showed that 69 percent are worried that […]

Read More… from 9/6/2018

9/5/2018

IRAN/NUCLEAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday [9-5-18] he remained open to the possibility of talks between Washington and Tehran, but said Iran was in turmoil and struggling to survive…In May, Trump withdrew the United States from a 2015 international agreement intended to stall Tehran’s nuclear capabilities and has since reimposed sanctions […]

Read More… from 9/5/2018

9/4/2018

IRAN/MIKE POMPEO/MILITARY/RUSSIA/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday [9-3-18] warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his allies Iran and Russia not to ‘recklessly attack’ Syria’s rebel-held Idlib province, warning that hundreds of thousands of people could be killed…The northern province and surrounding areas are the last major enclave held by insurgents fighting Assad, […]

Read More… from 9/4/2018

9/4/2018

IRAN/RUSSIA/SYRIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Kremlin dismissed U.S. President Donald Trump’s warning to Syria not to launch an offensive in the rebel-held enclave of Idlib, saying on Tuesday [9-4-18] the area was a ‘nest of terrorists’. Trump on Monday [9-3-18] warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his allies Iran and Russia not to ‘recklessly attack’ the […]

Read More… from 9/4/2018

9/4/2018

IRAN/MIDDLE EAST/NIKKI HALEY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/UN: “U.S. President Donald Trump will chair a U.N. Security Council meeting on Iran this month to spotlight its ‘violations of international law’ during the annual gathering of world leaders in New York, U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley said on Tuesday [9-4-18]. The United States, which holds the council presidency for September, […]

Read More… from 9/4/2018

9/4/2018

IRAN/RUSSIA/STATE/SYRIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “US President Donald Trump has warned the Syrian government and its Russian and Iranian allies against ‘recklessly’ attacking rebel-held Idlib province. In a tweet he warned of “a grave humanitarian mistake” in which hundreds of thousands of people could be killed. Syrian government forces are said to be preparing a huge offensive […]

Read More… from 9/4/2018

9/3/2018

IRAN/RUSSIA/SYRIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Bashar al-Assad of Syria must not recklessly attack Idlib Province. The Russians and Iranians would be making a grave humanitarian mistake to take part in this potential human tragedy. Hundreds of thousands of people could be killed. Don’t let that happen!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, September 3, 2018 05:20 pm […]

Read More… from 9/3/2018

9/3/2018

IRAN/MIKE POMPEO/MILITARY/RUSSIA/SYRIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump warned Syria and its allies Russia and Iran on Monday [9-3-18] against attacking the last major rebel stronghold of Idlib province in the country’s northwest…Hours after the tweet, Russian planes struck parts of western Idlib, according to an activist media group and Syrian rescue group the White Helmets. […]

Read More… from 9/3/2018

9/3/2018

IRAN/MILITARY/RUSSIA/SYRIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday [9-3-18] warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his allies Iran and Russia not to ‘recklessly attack’ Syria’s rebel-held Idlib province, warning that hundreds of thousands of people could be killed. ‘The Russians and Iranians would be making a grave humanitarian mistake to take part in this […]

Read More… from 9/3/2018

8/24/2018

IRAN/RUSSIA/SOCIAL MEDIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “U.S. President Donald Trump criticized social media companies on Friday [8-24-18] for silencing ‘millions of people’ in what he called an act of censorship. Trump did not mention any of the companies by name. On Tuesday [8-21-18], Facebook Inc (FB.O), Twitter Inc (TWTR.N) and Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O) removed hundreds of accounts […]

Read More… from 8/24/2018

8/16/2018

IRAN/MIKE POMPEO/SANCTIONS/STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE: “U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday [8-16-18] named senior policy adviser Brian Hook as Washington’s special representative for Iran. The move came as the Trump administration prepared to increase economic pressure on Iran by restoring sanctions to force Tehran to end its nuclear weapons program and support for militant groups […]

Read More… from 8/16/2018

8/13/2018

DEFENSE/IRAN/MILITARY/NORTH KOREA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “A bill signed by President Donald Trump on Monday [8-13-18] asks the Pentagon to pursue more options for defeating U.S.-bound North Korean missiles by using radar and more missiles to spot and shoot down inbound threats. The National Defense Authorization Act gives the Pentagon $716 billion, with almost $10 billion going […]

Read More… from 8/13/2018

8/7/2018

IRAN/SANCTIONS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Iran sanctions have officially been cast. These are the most biting sanctions ever imposed, and in November they ratchet up to yet another level. Anyone doing business with Iran will NOT be doing business with the United States. I am asking for WORLD PEACE, nothing less!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, August 7, […]

Read More… from 8/7/2018

8/6/2018

IRAN/NUCLEAR/SANCTIONS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The United States will reimpose sanctions against Iran at midnight on Monday [8-6-18], restoring economic penalties that were lifted under the 2015 nuclear accord and ratcheting up pressure on Tehran while worsening divides with European allies and other world powers. The sanctions are a consequence of President Trump’s decision in May to […]

Read More… from 8/6/2018

8/6/2018

IRAN/NUCLEAR/SANCTIONS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The White House reimposed sanctions on Iran, targeting the country’s struggling economy as it seeks to pressure Tehran’s leaders to stop supporting Middle East militant groups and end enrichment of uranium, U.S. officials said. While President Trump—whose measures reflect the broadest economic action he has taken against Tehran since saying in May […]

Read More… from 8/6/2018