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Irans mullahs must be jealous of all the attention Kim Jong-un got after the death of US college student Otto Warmbier shortly after Pyongyang returned him from North Korean captivity.

Last week, after all, their kangaroo courts slapped a 10-year prison sentence on another US student, Xiyue Wang, whos pursing a doctorate at Princeton. Tehran claims Wang, a Chinese American, is a US spy who took 4,500 pictures of Iranian documents.

Wang joins four other US citizens held hostage in Iran. Baquer and Siamak Namazi, an 80-year-old father and son, are being held in the countrys notorious Evin prison, along with art-gallery owner Karan Vafadari. Robert Levinson, an ex-FBI agent who disappeared in 2007, is also believed to be an Iranian hostage.

Wangs sentencing may be an escalation of Irans hostage war against the United States. As Michael Rubin noted last week, the mullahs usually target Americans with Iranian passports. But Wang may not have had one because hes not an Iranian citizen and is believed to have been traveling on an Iran-issued visa.

That may mean the Islamic Republic is crossing lines even they have long avoided, says Rubin.

The move on top of Irans violations of the 2015 nuclear deal, attacks on US ships in international waters, fueling wars in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, support for terrorism and missile tests raises a key question: Will President Trump do anything about any of this?

Just last week, he re-certified that Iran is in compliance with the nuke deal. Uh, whats up with that?

Several reports suggest Trump OKd re-certification only reluctantly and is set to change course soon. Its also true that its only been six months since he took office; his team is expected to complete a policy review on Iran this summer.

But the clock is ticking and Trump is being tested. As James Carafano, a one-time Trump foreign-affairs adviser, notes, Our friends and allies clearly need to see where were going.

Unless Trump moves fast, Wang wont be the last of Irans US victims.

Originally posted here:
Iran ratchets up its US hostage-taking game - New York Post

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani takes part in a news conference near the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 22, 2016.

Lucas Jackson / Reuters

TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran's president said Wednesday that it will stand up to the United States and reciprocate for any new sanctions that Washington imposes on the Islamic republic.

Hassan Rouhani's remarks came a day after the Trump administration announced new, non-nuclear sanctions while at the same time warning Tehran that it would face consequences for breaching "the spirit" of the nuclear deal with world powers.

The new sanctions, perceived as the latest attempt to clamp down on Iran's military financing, target 18 Iranian individuals and groups, ranging from an Iran-based company accused of aiding the country's drone program to a Turkey-based provider of naval equipment and a China-based network that helped secure electronics for Tehran.

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Iran is pushing back against new sanctions imposed by the Trump administration. Its top diplomat, Javad Zarif, says Mr. Trump is trying to underm...

Foreign Minister Javad Zarif told CBS News the new sanctions could jeopardize the landmark nuclear deal.

"It violates the spirit of the deal. We will look at it and see whether it violates the letter of the deal, and we will act accordingly," Zarif said in an interview with CBS News' Margaret Brennan.

If Washington, under any pretext, imposes new sanctions against Iran, "we will stand up to the United States," Rouhani said, adding that the "great nation of Iran will have an appropriate answer" and that the Iranian parliament will also act.

He did not elaborate. His speech, at a weekly Cabinet meeting, was broadcast on state TV.

Rouhani, a 68-year-old cleric and political moderate who secured a resounding re-election over a hard-line opponent in May, has been increasingly outspoken against the U.S., calling relations with Washington "a curvy road" even as he touts the 2015 nuclear accord.

The Trump administration on Monday confirmed that Iran had met its obligations under the nuclear deal but warned it would face consequences for breaching "the spirit" of the accord -- a reference to Iran's continued pursued of a ballistic missile program.

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Just one day after certifying Iran's compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal, the United States is placing new economic sanctions on the Islamic re...

Rouhani speculated that such statements seek to dissuade Iran from continuing to comply with the nuclear deal. The International Atomic Energy Agency has verified that Iran has lived up to its nuclear commitments.

"This plot will never succeed," he added. "We will always remain loyal to our international commitments."

Iran's Foreign Ministry in a statement Tuesday condemned the latest U.S. sanctions, calling them "mean and pointless," and said it will retaliate with sanctions on more Americans. Iran in April and May imposed reciprocal sanctions on dozens of American companies and individuals, alleging they support terrorism and repression against people in the region such as the Palestinians.

Later on Wednesday, Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, head of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard, warned the U.S. against imposing sanctions on the paramilitary group. He said the Guard's missile program is not negotiable and hinted that new sanctions could put U.S. military bases in the region in danger.

"If the U.S. intends to pursue sanctions on the Guard, it should first disassemble its military bases within 1,000 kilometers, or 620 miles," Jafari was quoted as saying by state TV, apparently referring to the range of Iranian missiles.

2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Excerpt from:
Iranian president says country will "stand up to" US over sanctions - CBS News

Imagine a debate has begun in the White House over finding a pretext to attack Iran. The countrys vilification of Israel, its support for Hezbollah and terror, its designs for control of Syria and its jailing of Americans had all been fleshed out. Before any decisions are made, President Donald Trump will need a history lesson from his security advisers. Heres how the conversation could go:

Bad, says POTUS. Bad.

The national security adviser then begins to list a number of reasons why the leaders of Iran act the way they do: "We do need to understand Iranian perceptions a bit. There's the 1953 coup; it overthrew a democratically elected government in Iran. Theres some difference of opinion whether the United States had as much to do with the overthrow as the British, but most Iranians blame the U.S.

OK, says POTUS. So we were bad.

Then there's the Iran-Iraq war, says the national security adviser. Iran, then ruled by the Ayatollah Khomeini (the kidnappers of Americans, you recall the hostage crisis) was attacked by Saddam Hussein in 1980. In an eight-year war "

Wait a minute, interrupts POTUS. Saddam invaded Iran?

Yes, and Saddams troops killed more than 250,000 Iranians," says the national security adviser. Given Iran's population at the time, that would be equal to about 1.5 million Americans being killed today. A lot worse than 9/11.

Gee, replies POTUS. Bad, bad.

And that's not all. The Reagan administration you know Dick Cheney, et al they supported Saddam, gave him a green light to attack, or at least a yellow, and shared lots of intelligence with Saddam's generals.

Whoa, says POTUS. I never knew that. Of course, I was busy building casinos in Atlantic City then. I had my own headaches with nasty immigrant workers; bad.

The national security adviser continues, ignoring the presidents tangent: Worse, Saddam used poison gas against Iranian soldiers. It was probably what led Khomeini to seek peace in 1988.

That man would never seek peace! declares POTUS.

No, Khomeini was the first ayatollah, Mr. President. Todays leader is Ayatollah Khameini, pronounced hamm-men-eee, not ho-man-eee.

Oh, still bad.

And do you remember the Vincennes?

I sure do," replies POTUS. Melania and I had a lovely, just lovely, walk through there when we were in Paris a few weeks ago. Its a beautiful park.

No, Mr. President. Im referring to the USS Vincennes, a U.S. Navy guided missile cruiser that shot down an Iranian civilian airliner in 1988; 290 Iranians, including children, died. Many of them were traveling to Mecca for the hajj; you know, the Muslim pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. They were shot out of the air by our ship in Iranian waters.

The Associated Press

FILE - In this July 3, 1988 file photo, the crew of the USS Vincennes stands at attention to salute the USS Samuel B. Roberts which leaves the Persian Gulf. In 1988, the USS Samuel B. Roberts struck a mine and nearly sank. That sparked a daylong naval battle between Iran and the U.S. in which American forces attacked two Iranian oil rigs and sank or damaged six Iranian vessels. A few months later, the USS Vincennes in the Strait of Hormuz mistook an Iran Air flight heading to Dubai for an attacking fighter jet, shooting down the plane and killing all 290 people onboard. (AP Photo/Greg English, File)

FILE - In this July 3, 1988 file photo, the crew of the USS Vincennes stands at attention to salute the USS Samuel B. Roberts which leaves the Persian Gulf. In 1988, the USS Samuel B. Roberts struck a mine and nearly sank. That sparked a daylong naval battle between Iran and the U.S. in which American forces attacked two Iranian oil rigs and sank or damaged six Iranian vessels. A few months later, the USS Vincennes in the Strait of Hormuz mistook an Iran Air flight heading to Dubai for an attacking fighter jet, shooting down the plane and killing all 290 people onboard. (AP Photo/Greg English, File) (The Associated Press)

Sad, says POTUS. All those beautiful children just like in Syria, huh?

Well, we did admit it, and we said we were sorry. The U.S. treasury paid $61.8 million to the families of those who died.

That's a lot of dough, says POTUS. But still, very, very sad.

Evan Vucci / Associated Press

Mr. President, one more angle to think about. You were well received in Warsaw last month. Do you know what countrys population likes America more than any other except Poland?

Israel? guessed POTUS. Russia?

No, Mr. President: Iran. Seventy per cent of the population of Iran is under the age of 30. All were born since the Shah was overthrown and the ayatollahs and the revolutionary guards came to power. And they love the United States our culture, music, education, spirit. Were we to attack Iran, they would lose all respect for us and support the Revolutionary Guards, whom they now despise.

POTUS face contorts, his lips twist sideways, his nose wrinkles. So why are we talking about attacking Iran?

Back to square one, sir. We do need to examine this carefully. There are other options than war. There is coercive diplomacy. Their rulers are not nice guys, but there's a very complex power structure there. They are pursuing their national interests and are ready to exploit weaknesses in the region. After all, for so many years, they were surrounded by pretty bad people the Taliban in Afghanistan, who killed their ambassadors: Saddam who waged war on them before the situation changed.

Well, says POTUS. Who helped them out?

Our view: A year after the terrorist leader's death, the organization he founded has been substantially weakened, but its offshoots in Yemen, Somalia, Iraq and elsewhere remain a threat

Our view: A year after the terrorist leader's death, the organization he founded has been substantially weakened, but its offshoots in Yemen, Somalia, Iraq and elsewhere remain a threat

Mr. President, you know the answer. The United States did. We attacked the Taliban after 9/11, and defeated them until Messrs. Bush and Cheney decided to attack Iraq. And Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney deposed Saddam something the Iranians applauded though we didn't do a very good job of stabilizing the place, which led to ISIS, which led

So, we were pretty nice to Iran then, huh? interrupts POTUS. Why dont they like us, again?

Sad.

Frederic B. Hill (fhill207@gmail.com), a former foreign correspondent for The Baltimore Sun, conducted wargames and conferences on Iran and national security issues for the Department of State. He is co-editor with Stephens Broening of The Life of Kings; The Baltimore Sun and the Golden Age of the American Newspaper (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016).

Read the rest here:
A history lesson on Iran for the president - Baltimore Sun

Terrorism around the world declined globally last year, according to the Country Reports on Terrorism 2016. But Iran continues to destabilize the Middle East through proxies such as Hezbollah, exacerbating conflicts in Iraq, Syria and Yemen.

Despite the worldwide dip in terrorism related deaths and fatalities, the report said that militant groups continued to exploit ungoverned areas in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia to plan attacks. And it flagged militant inspired attacks by "home grown lone offenders" who struck in France, Germany and the United States.

"ISIS remains the most capable terror organization in 2016," even as it came under pressure from the US-led coalition fighting the group, Justin Siberell, the State Department's acting coordinator for counterterrorism, said Wednesday. Siberell said as well that threats remain in the form of a "resilient al Qaeda" and "an Iranian regime that remained a leading state sponsor of terrorism."

President Donald Trump has had Iran in his sights, and has been highly critical of the international pact to restrain its nuclear program that the Obama administration championed.

Siberell said the 13% drop in terror attacks from 2015 is due to reduced violence in Syria, Nigeria, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Yemen. He said attacks increased in Iraq, Turkey and Somalia and while terrorists struck in 104 countries in 2016, 55% of the attacks took place in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Philippines, Nigeria and Pakistan.

ISIS was responsible for more attacks and deaths than any other group, Siberell said, a grisly trophy claimed by the Taliban in 2015.

The country terror report, mandated by Congress, made no direct reference to Trump's ban on travelers and refugees from six Muslim-majority countries, though the individual countries were mentioned.

Asked about the restriction on people from Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, Siberell said that "we as a government want to make sure those governments have capabilities in place" to deal with terrorist groups. "There is in general a concern," he said.

The report notes thatISIS attacks outside its territory are becoming increasingly important as it comes under greater pressure from the US-led coalition and notes that social media remains vital to its recruitment.

Al Qaedaalso remains a significant worldwide threat, particularly in Yemen, despite sustained US pressure, the report says.

The report treads lightly over the ongoing tensions in the Persian Gulf, where Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt have cut diplomatic relations with Qatar -- home to a major US military base -- accusing it of backing terrorists and of cozying up to Iran.

With Secretary of State Rex Tillerson continuing his efforts to help find a solution, the agency's report carefully notes that all countries involved are members of the anti ISIS coalition and are engaged in counter terrorism initiatives.

The report notes thata common thread linking many terrorists was adherence to violent extremist ideology encouraged bya fundamentalist strain of Sunni Islam.

The report notes that many critics see Saudi Arabia as an exporter of this kind of fundamentalism, then goes on to detail various Saudi government efforts to counter extremism.

The report takes a similar approach with Qatar, avoiding mention of the current dispute and offering detailed listings of the ways Doha works to fight terror.

The report is equally careful about the Palestinian Authority, saying that it is doing what it can, where it has theauthority to do so, but more can be done.

It says that during the tenure of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority "has taken significant steps" to ensure that "official institutions in the West Bank under its control do not create or disseminate content that incites violence."

The report also notesthat Abbas has tried to address terror financing, but the decree he issued "does not fully meet international standards as it does not criminalize all forms of material support or the financing of an individual terrorist in the absence of a link to a specific terrorist act."

And it notes that while some Palestinian Authority leaders have made provocative and inflammatory comments, the PA itself "has made progress in reducing official rhetoric that could be considered incitement to violence."

Read the original:
Iran remains top terror sponsor as global attacks decline - CNN

Congress, which was overwhelmingly opposed to the nuclear deal when it was signed, is working on new sanctions. Republicans in particular have pressed Mr. Trump to toughen his approach. In a recent letter to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, four senators said Iran continues to wage regional aggression, sponsor international terrorism, develop ballistic missile technology and oppress the Iranian people. Theres truth in that. But the nuclear deal was intended to alleviate only the nuclear threat, and they, like other critics, fail to acknowledge that it represented important progress toward decreasing the risk of war in the region.

Top American officials have turned up their rhetoric and have hinted at support for regime change, despite the dismal record in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya. Mr. Tillerson accused Iran of seeking regional hegemony at the expense of American allies like Saudi Arabia. Our policy toward Iran is to push back on this hegemony and to work toward support of those elements inside of Iran that would lead to a peaceful transition of that government, he told a congressional committee. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis recently called Iran the most destabilizing influence in the Middle East.

Since the 1979 revolution that installed a theocracy in Iran, American leaders have periodically toyed with regime change. But some experts say this time is more serious, because Mr. Trump accepts the simplistic view of Sunni-led Saudi Arabia that Shiite-led Iran is to blame for all thats wrong in the region, taking sides in the feud between two branches of Islam.

The Saudis, who were already facing off against Iran-backed rebels in Yemen, have taken an even harsher stance since their leadership change. This month, they created a crisis by mounting a regional boycott against Qatar, which has relations with Iran. Israel also considers Iran a virulent threat, one reason for a deepening alignment between Israel and the Sunni states, and from time to time has reportedly urged America to attack Iran or considered doing so itself.

Anti-Iran voices outside government are trying to push Mr. Trump and Congress toward confrontation with Iran. The head of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, a hawkish group that tried to block the Iran nuclear deal, urged Mr. Trump in a recent Wall Street Journal opinion article to systemically dismantle Iranian power country by country in the Middle East and to strengthen Irans pro-democracy forces. Prominent Trump supporters like John Bolton, a former ambassador to the United Nations; Newt Gingrich, former House speaker; and Rudolph Giuliani, former New York mayor, are pressing Mr. Trump to abandon the deal and are speaking out on behalf of the Mujahedeen Khalq, exiled Iranian dissidents who back regime change.

Most Americans are aware of Irans crimes against this country, including the 52 Americans taken hostage in 1979; the 241 Marines killed in the 1983 bombing of their barracks in Lebanon; and the 1996 bombing of the Air Force quarters in Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia. Perhaps less known are events that still anger Iranians like the 1953 coup aided by the C.I.A. that ousted Irans democratically elected leader, Mohammed Mossadegh, and Americas intelligence support for Iraq in the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war.

Irans grievances do not make its recent behavior any less concerning. Tehran continues to fund Hezbollah and other extremists; detain Americans; and work to expand its reach, including in Iraq. Iran and the United States appear to be entering a particularly risky time. As the Islamic State gets pushed out of Iraq and Syria, Iran and Saudi Arabia, along with their proxy forces, will be competing for control. Any attempt at regime change in Iran could destabilize the volatile Middle East in even more unpredictable ways.

Irans government continues to be torn between anti-American hard-liners and moderates like President Hassan Rouhani who are willing to engage with America. Mr. Trump would make a grave mistake if instead of trying to work with those moderate forces he led the nation closer to war.

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A version of this editorial appears in print on July 20, 2017, on Page A24 of the New York edition with the headline: Avoiding War With Iran.

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Avoiding War With Iran - New York Times