Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Trump Says New Iran Sanctions Begin Monday

VOA News

   VOA's national security correspondent Jeff Seldin contributed to this
   report.

   President Donald Trump said Saturday he planned "major" new sanctions
   against Iran to take effect Monday, without providing details.

   Huddling with administration officials at the presidential retreat Camp
   David, Trump announced the move in a tweet.

     Iran cannot have Nuclear Weapons! Under the terrible Obama plan,
     they would have been on their way to Nuclear in a short number of
     years, and existing verification is not acceptable. We are putting
     major additional Sanctions on Iran on Monday. I look forward to the
     day that.....
     -- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) [1]June 22, 2019

   He spoke with reporters at the White House before leaving for Camp
   David, at one point saying as soon as Tehran agreed to renounce nuclear
   weapons, "I'm going to be their best friend."

   Trump's tone was much softer Saturday after a week of intense actions
   between the U.S. and Iran.

   Fears of a confrontation

   Concern about a potential armed confrontation between the U.S. and Iran
   has been growing since U.S. officials recently blamed Tehran for mine
   attacks on two oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, allegations Tehran
   denies, and Iran's downing of an unmanned U.S. drone this past week.

   On Friday, Trump said that he had canceled late Thursday a retaliatory
   strike against several Iranian targets.

   He tweeted that the United States was "cocked & loaded to retaliate
   last night on 3 different sights when I asked, how many will die. 150
   people, sir, was the answer from a General. 10 minutes before the
   strike I stopped it," Trump tweeted, saying the action would have been
   disproportionate.

   World leaders callfor calm

   World powers have called for calm after the incidents.

   German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday urged for a political
   resolution of the crisis. "That is what we are working on," she told
   Reuters.

   On Sunday, Britain's Middle East minister, Andrew Murrison, will travel
   to Tehran for talks with Iranian officials.

   Britain's Foreign Office said Murrison would call for "urgent
   de-escalation in the region." He will also discuss Iran's threat to
   cease complying with the nuclear deal that the United States pulled out
   of last year.

References

   1. https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1142506680300789761?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

.