Trump administration to impose 'flood' of new sanctions on Iran by January 2021

Axios and Israel's Channel 12 reported on Sunday evening that the Donald Trump administration will impose a "flood" of new sanctions against Iran in the ten weeks leading up to the inauguration of US President-elect Joe Biden.

According to these reports, the "flood of severe and new sanctions" has been set as a result of US cooperation with Israel and several Gulf states.

The two media outlets reported that in this context, Elliott Abrams, the US special representative for Iran and Venezuela, who traveled to Israel, met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli National Security Advisor Meir Ben-Shabbat in Jerusalem on Sunday and held the latest consultations with them regarding these new sanctions against Iran.

Mr. Abrams will also have separate meetings with Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi on Monday, November 9, and will discuss the matter with them.

Elliott Abrams has refused to answer questions from Axios and Israel's Channel 12, and the Israeli government has not issued an official statement regarding the Prime Minister and National Security Advisor's meeting with Mr. Abrams.

The US State Department had previously reported that Elliott Abrams would be in the Middle East from November 7 to 12 for a regional tour, but no details were released about the purposes of his trip.

Barak Ravid, an Israeli reporter for Axios, reported, citing "two Israeli sources," that Mr. Abrams said in a confidential briefing that the Trump administration would impose new sanctions on Iran in succession by January 20, the day the new US president is sworn in.

These sources said that the Trump administration and Israel want to make it harder for Mr. Biden's administration to return to the JCPOA, the nuclear agreement between world powers and Iran, but the new sanctions are designed in a way that they cannot be lifted even if the next US administration returns to the JCPOA.

These sanctions are related to the missile program, "Iran's assistance to terrorist organizations," and "human rights violations."

According to these reports, in the past few weeks, the Donald Trump administration, "with the encouragement and assistance of part of the Israeli diplomatic and security apparatus, has prepared a list of Iranian individuals as "target banks" for these sanctions."

Israel's Kan TV reported that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will travel to Jerusalem in the coming days to take advantage of the remaining ten weeks of the current US administration's work and make the final appointments related to Israeli interests.

Axios and Israel's Channel 12 television have also reported that Mr. Pompeo's trip is "the Trump administration's latest attempt to escalate pressure on Iran," and that he will arrive in Israel in the middle of next week on a regional tour.

Elliot Abrams, who is in the region until Thursday of this week, will also travel to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia after Israel.

The UAE and Saudi Arabia, US allies, have recently become open allies of Israel by normalizing relations with the country.

The head of state of Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabian leaders have congratulated Joe Biden's election, but according to Axios, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, like Israel, are "very concerned" about the incoming US administration's policy towards Iran.

The Joe Biden-Kamala Harris team, which officially announced their victory to their supporters on Saturday evening, has not yet responded to published reports about new sanctions that the current Washington administration is apparently seeking to impose on Iran.

Radio Farda has not yet been able to definitively and independently confirm the report by the Axios website and Israeli Channel 12 TV.

Two months ago, Joe Biden promised in an article on CNN to return to the JCPOA under certain conditions if he wins the election.

Saeed Khatibzadeh, spokesman for the Tehran Foreign Ministry, said on Sunday that "the list of US damages to Iran and the cases for which Washington must be held accountable to Iran is preserved... and the US is not in a position to make bets on Iran."

The spokesman stated that the difference between the Joe Biden and Donald Trump camps is clear, but "America must repent and stop the economic war against Iran."

Saeed Khatibzadeh also said that "the JCPOA negotiation table is intact...although the path is difficult."

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani also said on Sunday that the US policy of maximum pressure had failed and that Washington's new administration should "make up for past mistakes and return to the path of adhering to international obligations while respecting global rules."

Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that the US should return to the JCPOA table. These statements could mean that from the perspective of the Islamic Republic's leaders, the US should first lift sanctions and then return to the JCPOA.

Source: Radio Farda