Sanctions Prove That Unlike Obama, Trump Responds to Terrorism

The threat of Iran in the middle east and their open animus towards the West has proved difficult to deal with since the revolutionary Islamic Republic was established in 1979. President Obama suggested that the best way to diffuse the threat was to grant billions of dollars in funding to the country. President Trump is not following suit. On Monday, President Trump decided to isolate Tehran economically and limit its power in the Middle East. These sanctions prove the US leads the world in counter-terrorism efforts.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a press conference that the US would be cutting all oil imports from Iran. He added the president had a plan to execute it without affecting prices. Pompeo mentioned they would seek out oil alternative for the US and others affected. He also announced that he would impose sanctions, or financial penalties, on five countries if they continued to import oil from Iran. These countries are China, India, Japan, South Korea and Turkey.

Effective Counter-Terrorism

This a significant strike to the financial comfort of Iran, as over 80% of their export revenues come from oil and natural gas. Their top export partners are China, Japan, and Turkey. China accounts for 21% of their oil exports. The Trump administration is smart to hit the Iranians where it hurts. There is no other way to dissuade them from their terrorism-sponsored behavior and threat to Israel.

Of course, force would be next the alternative. It should also be noted that last month, Fox News reported other sanctions against the Iranians. The sanctions covered 31 Iranian scientists that were known to work for Iran’s Organization for Defense Innovation and Research. This organization was at the forefront of their nuclear missile program. The sanctions barred these individuals from any financial transactions in the United States or any involvement concerning US assets. These sanctions are a response to Hezbollah’s influence in Iran’s government, as Hezbollah is a known terrorist organization.

China’s Push-back

Regarding the oil sanctions, the New York Times reported that China pushed back immediately. The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Geng Shuang, said that China would protect its legitimate enterprises. He said they “oppose” the US sanctions. Here are a few Twitter responses to the Iran sanctions:

Saudi Arabia and others in OPEC will more than make up the Oil Flow difference in our now Full Sanctions on Iranian Oil. Iran is being given VERY BAD advice by @JohnKerry and people who helped him lead the U.S. into the very bad Iran Nuclear Deal. Big violation of Logan Act? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 22, 2019 Archive.is

Trump administration has decided not to renew sanctions waivers to eight countries importing oil from #Iran, applying further economic pressure on the regime in Tehran to bring Iran’s oil exports to zero. https://t.co/vY68YaRxke pic.twitter.com/0Ylgo0D2B1 — Nick Short 🇺🇸 (@PoliticalShort) April 22, 2019 Archive.is

Iran’s Response

Just this morning, more developments regarding Iran’s response came out. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the United States should be “prepared for consequences”. He said that they would continue to find buyers for their oil and use the Strait of Hormuz as a safe transit for distribution. He also said that the US should show some respect for more successful negotiations.

However, US citizens know, fundamentally, the US does not negotiate with terrorist regimes. It is hard to predict what the consequences of the sanctions will be. People with understanding of the threat of terrorism from Iran, especially Israelis, can rest assured that they have an ally in President Trump. Stay tuned for more developments.