Past and current US officials claim that President Trump is deciding whether to adopt a more aggressive policy towards Iran faced with its use of Shi’ite proxy and militant groups.
The President was provided with a proposal drawn up by several of his top officials including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and national security adviser H.R. McMaster.
He received the proposal at the end of last week and it may be before the end of the month that a decision will be made and announced.
Many believe that President Trump will set wide and strategic goals and objectives for US policy, but the implementation will probably be left to US military commanders, diplomats and other US officials. If this can be done with the coordination of allies, all the better.
The plan is to put more pressure on Iran to curb its support of militants and to control its ballistic missile program. One of the officials described it as “a broad strategy for the range of Iranian malign activities: financial materials, support for terror, destabilization in the region, especially Syria and Iraq and Yemen”.
Other activities will also be targeted, such as cyber espionage and nuclear proliferation. It will also impose much tougher economic sanctions on the Islamic Republic if there is any violation of the Iran nuclear deal.
It would also ensure that there are more interceptions of Iranian arms shipments to proxy groups.
The plan advises that a more aggressive reaction is needed by the United States with regards to Bahrain (where the Sunni monarchy has been supressing the majority Shi’ites).
A recommendation is also made for US Navy forces to react harsher to the IRGC’s armed speed boats that have been involved in several confrontations in recent times. In the latest confrontations, US Navy ships have had to fire warning shots and flares to ward off Iranian boats that have approached to a threateningly close distance. The proposal would allow the US commanders to fire when they believe their crew and / or vessels are in danger.
President Trump is well aware of the threat of Iran, and he is backed by US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley who advises that a more aggressive stance is taken. It is very clear that appeasement does not work with Iran and that the nuclear deal, as it is now, is ineffective.
Source » ncr-iran