TEHRAN, Iran — Iran's currency plummeted to a record low Monday, a week before the United States restores sanctions lifted under the unraveling nuclear deal, giving rise to fears of prolonged economic suffering and further civil unrest. Already last month, protesters clashed with police outside parliament in Tehran in three...
US Will Sanction Turkey Over Detained Pastor, Trump Says
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump declared on Thursday the United States will impose sanctions on Turkey, a crucial NATO ally, in retaliation for the detention of an American pastor on terror and espionage charges. Turkey's response was both harsh and dismissive, calling his words "unacceptable" and a "cheap threat." Trump's...
Iran Says It's 'Unimpressed' by Trump's Twitter Threats
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's explosive Twitter threat to Iran's leader comes as his administration is ratcheting up a pressure campaign on the Islamic republic that many suspect is aimed at regime change. No one is predicting imminent war. But Trump's bellicose, all-caps challenge addressed to President Hassan Rouhani followed...
White House Blames Iran for War of Words With Trump
WASHINGTON — The White House on Monday blamed Iranian President Hassan Rouhani for inciting a war of words with President Donald Trump, who warned that verbal threats could escalate into military conflict with the U.S. Trump, who campaigned on a promise to bring a more hawkish approach to Iran, sent...
History Shows Sanctions Fail. Why Does US Impose Them?
What are sanctions and how do they affect a country’s economy? More importantly, do sanctions work? I ask these questions because U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has vowed on behalf of President Donald Trump to use the "strongest sanctions in history" to force Iran back to the table and negotiate...
US Slaps Terrorist Designation on Iran-Linked Group
WASHINGTON — The United States designated a Shiite militant group in Bahrain as a foreign terrorist organization Tuesday to ramp up pressure on Iran. The al-Ashtar Brigades are "yet another in a long line of Iranian-sponsored terrorists who kill on behalf of a corrupt regime," Nathan Sales, the coordinator for...
Trump's Iran Sanctions Will Hurt Hopes for Democracy
Anyone who has seen the movie "Charlie Wilson's War" knows that a single congressman provided great help to the Afghan Mujahideen during the Soviet war in Afghanistan. Later, these same rebels would target the United States. And these days, it's hard to miss President Donald Trump promising to crack down on violent MS-13...