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President Trump Imposes New Sanctions on Iran
President trump signed an executive order yesterday to implement new sanctions on Iran. The order comes after Iran has attacked several oil tankers as well as an unmanned U.S. drone, all within international waters.
The order directly targets Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khameini. In addition, the order applies to anyone working for Khameini, anyone appointed as a state official of Iran, as well as anyone (whether in Iran or not) who is determined to “have materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services” to anyone covered by the executive order. That last one will affect foreign (third country) companies that want to do business with Iran, particularly because the order allows the secretary of the treasury to sanction foreign banks that provide services to anyone affected by the order.
In addition, the order also suspends the immigrant and non-immigrant entry into the United States by anyone affected by the order.
A brilliant move, I believe. The Mullahs have been trying to escalate things on an international basis in order to deflect the rapidly declining economic situation in Iran. This move hits the “leaders,” while leaving the general populace relatively untouched. It also postpones the military response the Mullahs have been seeking to divert the attention of the masses at home.
So what does sanctioning the Khameini actually do to him? Do the Mullah’s also hide money in the US like Russians do? Seems like killing 150 people would have been more of a message. Nothing says serious like blood. Andrew Jackson would have killed those people.
It stops Khamenei from going to Carnival in Rio every year. The way he always does. If this doesn’t have an impact I don’t know what will.
Max,
I love Trump on this. He has an olive branch (Iran has a phenomenal future!) in one hand and Teddy Rosevelt’s big stick in the other. There is no rush. Time is on our side. We can bring up another carrier group into the area. Meanwhile, inside Iran, the military is going to start to realize that the U.S. isn’t going to fall into any of their traps. In fact, it is Iran that is in Trump’s trap. Freezing the Mullah’s bank accounts is an intentional provocation sending a message that we are now going to make it totally impossible for you to economically survive. Their own population already hates the Mullahs this is going to ratchet up the pressure.
If the military is willing to dump the Mullahs the times they may be a changing. However, if Iran insists upon being the lunatic country that everyone in the middle east hates then operation “stepwise” starts. Step 1, eliminate all strategic missiles, all anti-aircraft missiles, all anti-ship missiles, and most of the Iranian airforce. Step 2, eliminate the entire Iranian airforce. Step 3, eliminate naval ships, fast boats, submarines, and mines in the Strait of Hormuz. Step 4, carpet bomb Iranian industry and MOAB & MOP the Iranian nuclear industry.
When the Iranians ask for a truce, I recommend that this message be sent.
Has a nice ring to it.
Regards,
Jim
I was worried because, as usual, Trump is all over the place with this stuff. He mentioned abandoning the nuclear program as part of his deal, however we’ve been there/done that with Obama and the exact same deal Trump repealed.
But this is much more like it. It’s also a big middle finger to the EU and the appeasement crowd. Why, it’s almost Reagan-esque!
It would be SO much better to just drop millions of handguns and bullets across population centers.
The Iranian people cannot revolt as long as they are unarmed. Let’s arm them. Now.
The Obama Iran deal did not include Iran giving up its nuclear program, though. To the contrary, it guaranteed that they would achieve nuclear weapons after 10 years.
I get the sentiment, however:
It is the ayatollahs (think cardinals) not mullahs (think priests), no matter how often talking heads riff about “mad mullahs.” Our quarrel is with the Khomeinist ayatollahs, who corruptly and illegitimately rule secular society, to the detriment of both the material and spiritual life of the Iranian people.
There are two competing militaries, one a sort of Red Guard/SS/Praetorian Guard for the Khomeinists and the other the regular force. That means we should only consider targeting the IRGC, weakening it relative to the regular military. We are already doing so with “non-kinetic” tools of national power. See the extradition of an alleged Hezbollah financier by Paraguay to the U.S.
You miss the significant threat of a mass terror campaign here and elsewhere if we were to launch a generalized bombing campaign. Plus, Hezbollah and Hamas might well go all-out against Israel. Our superior firepower and technology points our adversaries to asymmetric responses. President Trump’s public comment about 150 Iranian lives, plus the network attack against surface to air missile systems in Iran, tells the Iranian people that we agree with them. They are right that the Khomeinists are squandering money on foreign adventures rather than taking care of the folks back home. President Trump cares more for ordinary Iranians than the unelected ideologues in Teheran.
Cliff,
Yes, this is what we want to come through to both the people and the sane side of the military. I think you missed that my suggested bombing was not general but very specific. We will remove all Nuclear assets and anything that relates to it. First, we must destroy all warfighting capacity or any military asset that can do America or its allies harm. Even B52s using conventional bombs are exposed to SAM. Interesting that the new hypersonic missiles could give the B52s a whole new relevant role. They could stand way off, deliver a terrific volley of the hypersonics, go back to a distant base, reload and quickly get back to strike again.
If we keep increasing the pressure the military may crack. Their own real military may realize that not only isn’t Trump a sucker but they are the ones being drawn in deeper and deeper.
Regards,
Jim