Originally posted by the Voice of America.
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How Will the US and Iran Deescalate?

Nike Ching

   STATE DEPARTMENT - With both Iran and the United States appearing to
   deescalate tensions, the focus again turns to diplomacy. Last week, a
   U.S. drone strike killed Iran's most influential military leader,
   Qassem Soleimani, and Tehran retaliated by firing a volley of missiles
   at two bases in Iraq that house U.S. troops, without causing
   casualties. VOA spoke with State Department Spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus
   on what the next steps might be.

   Q: President Trump announced yesterday that the U.S. would impose new
   economic sanctions against the Iranian regime.

   ORTAGUS: Yes.
   Q: Are they related to the assets of Iran's Supreme Leader or IRGC?
   What more sanctions could be done?
   ORTAGUS: Well, as you know from covering the State Department, we don't
   preview sanctions here but we do announce sanctions quite regularly on
   Iran, and it's important for your viewers to know that sanctions are a
   part of what we have called for the past year and a half, 'the maximum
   economic pressure campaign' against the regime in Iran, and that
   pressure campaign is diplomatic, it's economic, of course as you've
   seen this last week, it's military as well. What's really the three
   legs of the stool that we'd like to say, is a part of our efforts to
   get the regime to behave like a normal nation. So without giving away
   the specifics of the announcements that will happen very soon. The
   President did indicate yesterday that he has authorized more sanctions,
   and we will continue to pursue a campaign that diplomatically and
   economically isolates the regime in Iran until they come into
   compliance and behaving like a normal nation.
   Q: Moving forward, what are the specific diplomatic efforts to
   deescalate?

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