Iran at the center of the new US counterterrorism strategy

In line with its new strategy in the “National Strategy to Counter Terrorism,” the United States has focused its attention, among other things, on the Islamic Republic. According to the US National Security Advisor, Iran is the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world.

John Bolton, National Security Advisor to US President Donald Trump, outlined the new US strategy in line with the "National Strategy for Countering Terrorism" at a press conference on Thursday evening, September 12 (October 4).

This is the first time since 2011 that the US government has presented a new strategic plan in this regard. In the plan announced by the Barack Obama administration at the time, confronting the al-Qaeda terrorist network was at the center of US strategy.

In its new strategy to combat terrorism, Washington has focused its attention, among other things, on the Islamic Republic.

In his explanation of this new strategy, John Bolton verbally attacked Iran, stating that Iran had been the "global central bank for international terrorism" after the Islamic Revolution of 1979.

He said that extremist groups and organizations such as Lebanon's Hezbollah or Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which are financially supported by the Islamic Republic, are a threat to America and its interests and are considered enemies of Israel as an ally of America.

The US State Department's annual reports have consistently referred to Iran as one of the "world's top state sponsors of terrorism." However, Donald Trump's administration considers the Islamic Republic to be the "leading state sponsor of terrorism."

Bolton, who is known for his tough stances against the Islamic Republic, made the following statement to reporters, referring to the extensive US sanctions against Iran: "We are committed to making no exceptions regarding the purchase of oil, gas, and condensates in order to reduce Iran's sales to zero."

He said the US should not necessarily achieve this goal, but no one should be “under any illusions about the US goal.”

The new round of US sanctions against the Islamic Republic is set to take effect in November of this year. The first round of sanctions was imposed in August of this year.

A number of important buyers of Iranian oil have significantly reduced or even stopped their oil imports and purchases from the Islamic Republic in recent weeks.

John Bolton had recently criticized the European Union's plan to create a special mechanism to circumvent US sanctions against Iran, warning that the United States would be "firm and cooperative" in imposing sanctions.

On Tuesday, September 25, at the conference of the "Unity Against Nuclear Iran" group in New York, he also warned the Islamic Republic, "If Iran does not change its behavior, it will be forced to pay a very heavy price."

The US National Security Advisor has previously referred to the effects of sanctions on Iran's economy and politics and has made an in-depth assessment of these effects.

Bolton had stated: “This is what we were after. We are trying to force the Iranian regime to fundamentally change its behavior. If they don’t change their behavior, they will face more consequences. Because we will impose more sanctions on them and we will maximize our pressure on them.”

Following the country's withdrawal from the JCPOA in May, US President Donald Trump ordered the reimposition of sanctions against Iran that had been suspended following the nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic.

Source: DW