President Trump on Wednesday morning ordered the U.S. Treasury to "substantially increase" sanctions against Iran.
The escalating measure follows several days of heightened tensions between the two countries over the attack on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia over the weekend. Trump's instructions to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin also come after several statements this week from Iranian leaders reiterating that Iran will not negotiate with the U.S. while sanctions are imposed.
"If the U.S. wants to have a seat at the negotiating table, it must return to its commitments and show that it's a reliable country," Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in Tehran on Wednesday, according to Iranian state media. "If we can't rely on it, it's not a country with which there can be an agreement."
Tensions first flared after the U.S. blamed Iran for the drone attacks on two Saudi state-owned oil installations on Saturday. Iran has repeatedly, and vehemently, denied the charge; even sending a formal letter to Trump via the Swiss Ambassador, who represents U.S. interests in Tehran, denying involvement, the Islamic Republic News Agency reported.
Diplomatic relations deteriorated last year after Trump made good on a campaign promise and withdrew the U.S. from the 2016 Iranian nuclear deal, formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). In November 2018, the U.S. Treasury re-imposed harsh sanctions, which had been rescinded under the JCPOA, on "critical sectors of Iran's economy" including energy, transportation, and finance. The U.S. also imposed sanctions on over 700 individual Iranian officials.
Over the last year, Iran has refused to publicly engage with the Trump administration until the U.S. recommits to the nuclear pact, which it withdrew from despite objections from the other signatories and international monitoring groups that confirmed Iran was complying with the JCPOA. Trump, meanwhile, has repeatedly expressed a willingness to negotiate with Iran and meet with its top leaders.
"We'll see what happens … I think Iran has a tremendous, tremendous potential," Trump said last week — before the attack in Saudi Arabia — on whether he will meet with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani at the United Nations' General Assembly, which kicked off in New York this week.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, however, said Tuesday that "there will be absolutely no negotiation between the officials of the Islamic Republic and the U.S. at any level; neither in New York and not anywhere else."
<i>Saudi military spokesman Col. Turki al-Malki displays what he described as an Iranian drones used in the attack this weekend on Saudi Arabia's oil industry. Photo Credit: Amr Nabil/AP/Shutterstock</i>
At a press conference in Riyadh on Wednesday, Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Defense presented the wreckage of drones that it claimed struck the two oil plants. Officials said the debris pointed to decisive evidence that Iran was directly involved in the attack, which briefly crippled one of the world's most important oil facilities and sent shockwaves through global energy markets.
The Houthi group in Yemen, which is backed by Iran and is currently at war with a Saudi-led coalition, had claimed responsibility for the attack but did not provide conclusive evidence for the claim.
Despite direct accusations against Iran from top U.S. officials, Trump on Sunday said that the U.S. was "waiting to hear from the Kingdom as to who they believe was the cause of this attack" before responding. Trump did not elaborate as to whether the sanction hike was a direct response to the attack in Saudi Arabia and the U.S. Treasury did not immediately respond to inquiries from Cheddar.
The president, in an interview with CNBC this week, said he's looking to tax every single Chinese good that enters the U.S., which amounts to $505 billion. The tariffs would come at a time when prices for common consumer products, including the Apple Watch, FitBit, and smart speakers, could rise. Cheddar's Tim Stenovec and Kristen Scholer break down the news.
The actor, comedian, and activist created an augmented reality app called "House of Cats," which features an animated, satirical version of the president called "Trump-y Cat." A portion of the proceeds will go to support refugees. "We are going to counter his hostility with support," Takei tells Cheddar.
Economic growth at 4 percent is unsustainable and could pull back, warns Samantha Azzarello, Global Market Strategist at JPMorgan ETFs. GDP has been energized by tax cuts, increased spending, and consumption, and Azzarello predicts the high won't last.
Christopher Wray, who became director of the FBI last August, said in a statement that his assessment of Russia and the 2016 election has not changed, despite what Trump may say. "The President clearly has personal interests, or some sort of interests, that are separate from what the U.S. intelligence community has when it comes to Russia," says Eric Boehm, reporter for Reason.com.
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