On Tuesday, President Donald Trump in a tweet called the new sanctions on Iran as the “most biting … ever.”
“The Iran sanctions have officially been cast. These are the most biting sanctions ever imposed, and in November they ratchet up to yet another level. Anyone doing business with Iran will NOT be doing business with the United States,” he said. “I am asking for WORLD PEACE, nothing less!”
The Trump administration moved to reimpose punishing sanctions on Iran, threatening even more severe ones for later in the year in an effort to increase pressure on the Tehran regime and bring it to the negotiating table.
The latest sanctions represent the broadest economic action the U.S. has taken against Tehran since President Donald Trump left the 2015 Iran nuclear deal in May and they will stay in place until Iran meets a dozen demands, including ceasing support for militant groups in the Middle East.
President Trump signed the executive order reinstating the sanctions on Monday which took effect on Tuesday. The restrictions are aimed at stopping the purchase of dollar banknotes by Iran, preventing the government from trading gold and other precious metals and blocking the nation from selling or acquiring various industrial metals.
While announcing the sanction on Monday White House officials pointed to Iran’s ongoing civil unrest and economic woes and reiterated Trump’s openness to meeting with Iranian leaders.
“The President has been very clear: none of this needs to happen,” a senior administration official told reporters on a background briefing call. “He will meet with Iranian leadership at any time to discuss a real, comprehensive deal that will contain their regional ambitions, will end their malign behavior and deny them any paths to a nuclear weapon.”
According to CNN, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani stated shortly before the sanctions were reimposed that he would welcome talks with the U.S. without preconditions.
“If there is sincerity, Iran has always welcomed dialogue and negotiations,” Rouhani said.
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