President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in North Carolina, September 25, 2024. (AP Foto/Nell Redmond)
President-elect Donald Trump to restore ‘maximum pressure’ policies against Iran, officials say, after Iran allegedly plotted to assassinate the former president.
By World Israel News Staff
Former President and President-elect Donald Trump is planning to return the U.S. to the “maximum pressure” strategy against Iran which the White House pursued during the four years of his first administration, former U.S. officials told The Wall Street Journal.
During his first term in office, Trump imposed new sanctions on Tehran and withdrew the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal – the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – on May 8, 2018, restoring the sanctions regime suspended under the 2015 agreement.
In addition, the president pursued what he called a broader strategy of “maximum pressure” on Iran to abandon its nuclear ambitions, its ballistic missile program, and its support for terrorist proxy forces including Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Yemenite Houthis.
The Trump administration targeted the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), designating the organization as a terrorist group in April 2019, and assassinating Qassem Soleimani, commander of the IRGC’s overseas Quds Force on January 3rd, 2020.
Now, according to former Trump administration officials, the president-elect is poised to resume his policy of “maximum pressure,” targeting Iran’s nuclear program as well as its support for terrorist groups involved in ongoing wars with Israel and attacks on Red Sea shipping.
According to the former administration officials, Iranian plots to assassinate Trump have further fueled his plans to confront Tehran.
On Friday, the U.S. Department of Justice charged three men for allegedly plotting to murder Trump, an Iranian-American human rights advocate, and a number of Israelis and other Jews.
The plot was allegedly orchestrated by Iran and led by Iranian national Farhad Shakeri, who could face as much as 100 years in prison for the murder plot, money laundering, terrorism charges, and sanctions violations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that he has spoken three times with Trump regarding Iran since last Tuesday’s election.
In a video statement, Netanyahu added that he and the president-elect see “eye-to-eye” on the issue.
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