President Trump said Wednesday that he has instructed the U.S. Navy to “shoot down and destroy” Iranian vessels that harass American ships at sea.

“I have instructed the United States Navy to shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our ships at sea,” Trump tweeted.

I have instructed the United States Navy to shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our ships at sea. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 22, 2020

When IRGC speedboats harry U.S. warships, it is tempting to conclude Trump’s ‘maximum pressure’ campaign against the Islamic Republic is failing. But think of how much more aggressive and reckless Iran would be without sanctions.

IRGC released a new video of the American warships which were surrounded by the Iranian speedboats!

Video below:

IRGC reveals new video of the American Warships which were surrounded by Iranian speed boats 2 days ago.pic.twitter.com/lx2H9Cv6a7 — 🇮🇶رمضان بهبهانی🇮🇷 (@ASB_Resistance) April 19, 2020

There is a 5 inch gun on the deck of the American ship, making the speed boats, afternoon target practice.

The US Navy said Wednesday that 11 Iranian boats “conducted dangerous and harassing approaches” and that the IRGCN boats crossed the bows and sterns of the US ships repeatedly, at one point closing to within 10 yards of one of the cutters.

To understand the true impact of the sanctions on Tehran’s behavior, imagine how much more dangerous and provocative Iran would have been in their absence.

Without the economic sanctions, Iran’s rulers would by now have had access to tens of billions of dollars in assets and revenues from trade with the world, the economic dividend it was promised, in exchange for limiting its nuclear program, in the 2015 deal with the world powers. Given the regime’s longstanding ambitions for dominance of the Middle East — as well as its paranoia about the Western presence there — much of this windfall would have gone into military spending.

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