US Congress to vote on four bills ramping up pressure on Tehran and Hizbollah 10/25/2017 10:45:23 AM   facebook Google+ ► Print President Trump recently announced a new tougher stance on Iran The National, Oct. 25, 2017  - The US House of Representatives will vote on four bills on Wednesday aimed at ramping up the pressure on Tehran and its Lebanese ally, Hezbollah. It comes a few weeks after US president Donald Trump rolled out a new strategy to counter the 'fanatical regime' of Iran and announced his decision to decertify the nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers. If passed, the four bills would target Iran’s ballistic missile program, pressure the Europeans to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, and impose sanctions on the Shiite militant group. Voting is expected to begin at 12pm local time (8pm UAE) on Wednesday and go on until 3pm local time. The first bill, known as the “Iran Ballistic Missiles and International...

US Congress to vote on four bills ramping up pressure on Tehran and Hizbollah 10/25/2017 10:45:23 AM   facebook Google+ ► Print President Trump recently announced a new tougher stance on Iran The National, Oct. 25, 2017  - The US House of Representatives will vote on four bills on Wednesday aimed at ramping up the pressure on Tehran and its Lebanese ally, Hezbollah. It comes a few weeks after US president Donald Trump rolled out a new strategy to counter the 'fanatical regime' of Iran and announced his decision to decertify the nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers. If passed, the four bills would target Iran’s ballistic missile program, pressure the Europeans to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, and impose sanctions on the Shiite militant group. Voting is expected to begin at 12pm local time (8pm UAE) on Wednesday and go on until 3pm local time. The first bill, known as the “Iran Ballistic Missiles and International ...

New US policy must account for Iran's human rights abuses © Getty Images Twice since taking office, President Trump has certified Iran’s compliance with the nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) negotiated by his predecessor in 2015. The certifications reportedly resulted from advice that the status quo would be better for America’s relationship with its allies, in contrast to campaign-trail promises that Trump would tear up the “worst deal ever negotiated.” But the most recent certification, in July, was coupled with a White House announcement of a comprehensive review of its Iran policy. That review is apparently coming to an end, and it could hardly happen at a more fitting time. It is expected that the Trump administration will announce a more assertive policy later this week that allows for proportional responses to provocative gestures, like the ballistic missile tests of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards C...

TOM RIDGE: WE NEED REGIME CHANGE IN IRAN President Trump has been very clear about his strong commitment to combat the global scourge of terrorism and to combat those nations that support and enable it. He has signaled his desire to build meaningful partnerships to achieve these goals and his focus in the Middle East is particularly relevant. In his first speech to the United Nations General Assembly last month, the President unhesitatingly identified which players are our friends and which are our enemies in that unstable region. Keep Up With This Story And More  By Subscribing Now Since taking office, he has strengthened ties between our traditional Arab allies, led by Saudi Arabia, with a determined and specific eye toward challenging a mutual, longstanding enemy, the Islamic Republic of Iran.   This approach should be taken a step further. In addition to working with supportive countries to confront Iran, there is a meaningful partnership to be built with an ...

Alan Dershowitz: Whether Trump's storm be diplomatic, economic or military depends on the dictators of North Korea and Iran 10/8/2017 11:21:41 PM Alan Dershowitz says Trumps calm before the storm is a message to North Korea and Iran By Alan M. Dershowitz Reporters continue scratching their heads about what President Trump meant when he spoke of the “calm before the storm” Thursday as he was hosting a dinner for military commanders and their spouses. It seems clear to me that he was sending a powerful message to North Korea and Iran: change your behavior now, or prepare to face new but unspecified painful consequences. North Korea and Iran are taking the measure of President Trump to see how far they can push him and how much they can get away with. The North Koreans continue testing nuclear weapons and long-range missiles and threaten to launch a nuclear attack on America and our allies that could kills millions. Iran is likely engaging in activities ...

Alan Dershowitz: Trump's 'Calm Before the Storm' Is Warning to Iran, North Korea TOM RIDGE: WE NEED REGIME CHANGE IN IRAN President Trump has been very clear about his strong commitment to combat the global scourge of terrorism and to combat those nations that support and enable it. He has signaled his desire to build meaningful partnerships to achieve these goals and his focus in the Middle East is particularly relevant. In his first speech to the United Nations General Assembly last month, the President unhesitatingly identified which players are our friends and which are our enemies in that unstable region. Keep Up With This Story And More  By Subscribing Now Since taking office, he has strengthened ties between our traditional Arab allies, led by Saudi Arabia, with a determined and specific eye toward challenging a mutual, longstanding enemy, the Islamic Republic of Iran.   This approach should be taken a step further. In addition to working with suppo...

President Trump to Announce His Decision on Iran Nuclear Deal Next Week President Donald Trump makes a statement at the White House in Washington, Oct. 2, 2017. WASHINGTON —THE ASSOCIATED PRESS- OCT. 4, 2017 -  Officials say President Donald Trump is planning to deliver an Iran policy speech next week, and he is expected to say that the landmark 2015 nuclear deal is no longer in the U.S. national security interest. U.S. officials say the White House has tentatively scheduled Trump's speech for Oct. 12 in Washington. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss planning for the event. Trump faces an Oct. 15 deadline to notify Congress whether Iran is still complying with the nuclear accord and that the deal serves American interests. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Wednesday that Trump's national security team has prepared a recommendation on how to proceed that contains several options and recogni...

Trump plans to declare that Iran nuclear deal is not in the national interest The move would mark the first step in a process that could eventually result in the resumption of U.S. sanctions against Iran The Washington Post- October 5 , 2017 -  President Trump plans to announce next week that he will “decertify” the international nuclear deal with Iran, saying it is not in the national interest of the United States and kicking the issue to a reluctant Congress, people briefed on an emerging White House strategy for Iran said Thursday. The move would mark the first step in a process that could eventually result in the resumption of U.S. sanctions against Iran, which would blow up a deal limiting Iran’s nuclear activities that the country reached in 2015 with the U.S. and five other nations. Trump is expected to deliver a speech, tentatively scheduled for Oct. 12, laying out a larger strategy for confronting the nation it blames for terrorism and instability...