As world leaders gathered at the UN, top Trump officials took the opportunity to put Iran on notice regarding the US’ red lines.
By: AP and World Israel News Staff
On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump and several of his top national security aides issued stern warnings to Iran, both at a session of the United Nations General Assembly, and at events on the meeting’s sidelines.
National security adviser John Bolton spoke at a New York City hotel to United Against a Nuclear Iran, an organization that opposed the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, an agreement from which the Trump administration withdrew in May.
In Bolton’s address, he warned that there would be “hell to pay” if Tehran crossed the U.S., its allies or their partners.
“If you cross us, our allies, or our partners; if you harm our citizens; if you continue to lie, cheat and deceive, yes, there will indeed be hell to pay,” he was set to declare, according to prepared remarks released by the White House.
“The murderous regime and its supporters will face significant consequences if they do not change their behavior. Let my message today be clear: We are watching, and we will come after you,” warned Bolton in the released remarks.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also addressed the mounting threat posed by the Iranian regime in an address to United Against a Nuclear Iran.
Specifically, Pompeo unfurled a long list of Iranian misdeeds, from its support of Syrian President Bashar Assad and Houthi rebels in Yemen to sponsoring or plotting attempted terrorist attacks in Africa, Asia, Europe and beyond.
Pompeo also lambasted the so-called “Special Purpose Vehicle,” a financial facility in the European Union created by various countries and the EU to facilitate payments for Iranian imports and exports including oil. The entity will help Iran, the EU, and other nations circumvent re-imposed US sanctions, which are in the process of going back into effect due to the Islamic Republic’s support for terror proxies throughout the region and its continued development of ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
“This is one of the most counterproductive measures imaginable for regional and global peace and security,” Pompeo said in reference to the EU’s end-run around U.S. sanctions.
“By sustaining revenues to the regime, you are solidifying Iran’s ranking as the number one state sponsor of terror, enabling Iran’s violent export of revolution and making the regime even richer while the Iranian people scrape by,” he concluded.