The American "Axios" website reported that the administration of US President Donald Trump is preparing a plan to impose a torrent of additional sanctions on Iran, before Trump leaves the White House on January 20, and the site quoted two Israeli sources that the Trump administration is coordinating in this regard with governments in The Gulf region, and with Israel.
The Axios website added that the Trump administration’s special envoy to Iran Elliot Abrams arrived in Israel today, Sunday, to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Security Adviser Meir Ben Shabat to discuss the upcoming new sanctions plan. Abrams is expected to meet tomorrow, Monday, with Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz and the Israeli Foreign Minister. Gabi Ashkenazi, to inform them of the details of the expected penalties.
And after the Tel Aviv visit, the Trump administration’s special envoy to Iran will travel to the UAE and Saudi Arabia to discuss a plan to impose additional sanctions on Tehran. According to the US website, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will visit Israel on November 18, in addition to other countries in the region, to talk about Trump administration efforts to increase pressure on the Iranian leadership.
Media sources:
• Trump envoy Elliott Abrams will visit Israel, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh.
• To coordinate on imposing a flood of sanctions on Iran before the January handover of power.
Note:
• I think that Trump has realized the impossibility of his continuation and wants to put obstacles in front of the Biden administration if it seeks to open dialogue with Iran and return to the nuclear agreement.
- Ahmad_Alyehri (@Ahmad_Alyehri) November 8, 2020
The complexity of Biden's mission
Axios said, citing Israeli sources, that the Trump administration believes that a torrent of sanctions on Iran will increase pressure on Tehran, and will complicate the task of President-elect Joe Biden's administration to return to the Iran nuclear deal, from which the Trump administration withdrew two years ago.
During the past few weeks, the Trump administration, with the encouragement and support of Israeli diplomatic and security officials, has prepared a "bank of targets" for Iranian institutions that will be subject to new sanctions expected before the end of President Trump's term and the transfer of power to his successor Biden, who has a different vision from Trump in how to deal with the Iranian nuclear file. .
The Axios website, citing a source who attended a closed meeting of the US envoy Abrams on the Trump administration’s plan, revealed that Washington seeks to announce a package of sanctions against Tehran every week until January 20, when the new president of the United States is inaugurated.
The expected US sanctions will not affect the institutions related to the Iranian nuclear file, which the Biden administration will easily withdraw from them. Rather, they will include the Iranian ballistic missile program, Iran's support for organizations that America classifies as terrorist groups, and violations of human rights by the Iranian authorities.
It is noteworthy that, since its withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear agreement, America has imposed many and severe sanctions on Tehran in various fields, including in particular the oil sector, banks and other sectors, and one of the most important goals of those sanctions is to cut Iran's oil exports to force it to enter new negotiations with the Trump administration regarding the nuclear program And the missile program.