Trump holds out new sanctions against Iran | Currently World | '
In the violent dispute with Iran, US President Donald Trump has announced further sanctions against the Muslim country. So Tehran should be prevented from obtaining nuclear weapons, said Trump in the White House in Washington. He did not specify what punitive measures that should be. At the same time, however, the US president has promised Iran economic development if the leadership in Tehran agrees to permanently abandon the construction of a nuclear bomb.
Trump told reporters: "If they agree, they will have a prosperous country, they will be so happy, and I will be their best friend." Trump added, following his old campaign slogan "Make America Great Again", "We'll call it 'Make Iran Great Again', does that make sense? 'Make Iran Great Again', that's in Okay for me. " Trump also said, looking at the Iranian leadership controlled by strict Muslim clerics, it could very quickly reach a deal. That's up to them. "But if they act stupid, that will never happen."
"Economic chaos"?
Trump flew by helicopter to Camp David in Maryland on Saturday. He announced that he would discuss the Iran crisis during a series of meetings and phone calls. He stressed that even the current economic sanctions have hit Iran hard, now "many more" would follow. "Iran is an economic mess right now, they're going through hell." The US would not allow Iran to have nuclear weapons.
The months of tensions between Iran and the US had come to a dangerous end at the end of the week. Iran fired a reconnaissance drone on Thursday, which, according to information from Tehran injured the airspace of the country and had responded to warnings. According to US data, the unmanned aircraft flew in international airspace.
The US prepared after the launch of the drone before a counterattack for Friday, the Trump canceled his words just ten minutes earlier. He justified this with the expected number of 150 deaths in Iran. Trump defended his decision on Saturday, stressing that the military option was "always on the table until we get it resolved". Trump reiterated that the death of so many people would have been disproportionate compared to shooting down an unmanned aerial vehicle. "I have many friends who are Iranians," he said. "I do not want to kill 150 Iranians."
US aircraft in the sights
Trump said the Iranians had targeted a manned US plane with 38 people on board without firing on Friday. "I think it was very wise of them not to do that and we appreciate that they did not do it." The Iranian Revolutionary Guards had said they could shoot down a manned US reconnaissance aircraft of the Poseidon type on Thursday, not Friday, in addition to the drone. Iran threatened the US on Saturday with consequences if it violated the airspace of the country. Iran does not care what Trump says or what decisions he makes, Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi told the Iranian news agency Tasnim. "The important thing is that we do not tolerate violations of our borders and consistently respond to any danger."
Clear words: Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi in Tehran
The background to the tensions is the unilateral termination of the international nuclear agreement with Iran by the Trump government in May 2018. Trump wants to force the leadership in Tehran, with toughest economic sanctions, to agree to a renegotiation and stricter conditions. Iran refuses. As long as Trump does not return to the nuclear deal and does not lift the sanctions, "Iran will not negotiate with the US, even if it should lead to further tensions," said President Hassan Rohani.
Chancellor Merkel warns
Meanwhile Chancellor Angela Merkel campaigned for a peaceful solution. "I say that this must not only be a hope, but that there must be worked with the utmost seriousness," said the CDU politician at the Protestant Kirchentag in Dortmund. The UK State Department said that Secretary of State Andrew Murrison would travel to Iran for talks on Sunday. Murrison will also express international concern over Iran's behavior and its threats to stop adhering to the nuclear agreement.
The US requested a special session of the UN Security Council. The deliberations are scheduled for Monday behind closed doors. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mousavi has once again issued an ultimatum to the signatory states remaining in the nuclear agreement – that is, the UN veto powers China, France, Great Britain, Russia and Germany – until July 7. If they fail to implement the atomic deal by then, Iran will continue its partial exit. "What happens then is well known," the spokesman said. Iran then wants to enrich its uranium indefinitely and no longer stick to the 3.67 percent cap prescribed in the nuclear agreement. Experts see this as the end of the nuclear agreement and a new level of escalation.
kle / hf (dpa, afp, rtr)
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