Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY) and Ilhan Omar (MN) are among a group of Democratic lawmakers calling on the Trump administration to end sanctions on Iran during the coronavirus pandemic.
&#8220;I led a letter with [Rep. Ocasio-Cortez] and [Sen. Bernie Sanders] demanding this Administration end sanctions against Iran during the COVID-19 pandemic,&#8221; Omar tweeted Tuesday. &#8220;These sanctions aren’t changing the behavior of the Iranian government, but directly punishing innocent civilians.&#8221;
Ocasio-Cortez also took to Twitter to publicize her role in pushing for the easing of sanctions on Iran by retweeted a post from the author of a report on the letter: &#8220;[Ocasio-Cortez], [Sanders], [Omar], and [Sen. Elizabeth Warren] &amp; co want to suspend sanctions on Iran that make it hard to import meds, PPE &amp; respirators despite one of the world&#8217;s biggest COVID-19 outbreaks and Trump&#8217;s claims of having made enough humanitarian concessions,&#8221; reads the tweet from Huffington Post foreign affairs reporter Akbar Shahid Ahmed.
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I led a letter with <a href="https://twitter.com/RepAOC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepAOC</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/SenSanders?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenSanders</a> demanding this Administration end sanctions against Iran during the COVID-19 pandemic. 
These sanctions aren’t changing the behavior of the Iranian government, but directly punishing innocent civilians. <a href="https://t.co/odymQAN3cn">https://t.co/odymQAN3cn</a>
&mdash; Rep. Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ilhan/status/1245075397504573440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Exclu: <a href="https://twitter.com/AOC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AOC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/BernieSanders?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BernieSanders</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/IlhanMN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@IlhanMN</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ewarren?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ewarren</a> &amp; co want to suspend sanctions on Iran that make it hard to import meds, PPE &amp; respirators despite one of the world&#39;s biggest COVID-19 outbreaks and Trump&#39;s claims of having made enough humanitarian concessions.<a href="https://t.co/S42tATdyLX">https://t.co/S42tATdyLX</a>
&mdash; Akbar Shahid Ahmed (@AkbarSAhmed) <a href="https://twitter.com/AkbarSAhmed/status/1245035385153105927?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2020</a></blockquote>
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As reported by the <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-sanctions-iran-coronavirus_n_5e831295c5b603fbdf490a1d">HuffPost</a> on Tuesday, Omar, Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders are among over two-dozen Democratic lawmakers who signed a letter sent to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin on Tuesday demanding the administration &#8220;suspend sweeping U.S. sanctions on Iran that are hindering the country’s response to its massive coronavirus outbreak.&#8221;
&#8220;Allowing this crisis to become more dire in Iran threatens significant harm not only to the people of Iran but also to people in the United States and around the world,&#8221; the letter reads.
&#8220;Our many disputes with the government of Iran or others should not stand in the way of actions that can materially help innocent people weather a pandemic,&#8221; the Democratic lawmakers assert.
As a precedent for such an action, the letter notes that President George W. Bush’s administration &#8220;eased sanctions&#8221; and &#8220;delivered aid&#8221; to Iran after the 2003 earthquake near Bam.
Among the sanctions relief they are demanding are &#8220;those that encompass major sectors of the Iranian economy, including those impacting civilian industries, Iran’s banking sector and exports of oil.&#8221; The easing of sanctions should last &#8220;for at least as long as health experts believe the crisis will continue,&#8221; the lawmakers insist.
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HuffPost cites some of the alarming COVID-19 statistics coming out of Iran, including more <a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html">2,750 deaths</a> in connection to the virus and more than 40,000 infections.
Along with Ocasio-Cortez, Omar, and Sanders, former Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren (MA) signed the letter.
During the course of his presidency, Trump has withdrawn from the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal and ramped up pressure on Iran by placing increasingly punitive sanctions on the country, which is the world&#8217;s leading state sponsor of terrorism.
While HuffPost notes that the sanctions &#8220;restrict Iran’s ability to earn foreign currency by selling oil abroad and to trade with international firms, limiting its imports of medicine and materials it needs to produce drugs domestically,&#8221; and have damaged the country&#8217;s ability to gain access to specialized medical equipment, Iran&#8217;s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has turned down U.S. offers of aid.
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&#8220;The U.S. preserved loopholes for food and medical trade with Iran and acknowledged its need by offering aid, American officials have noted, but Iran’s Supreme Leader <a href="https://iranprimer.usip.org/blog/2020/mar/23/khamenei-refuses-us-help-covid-19" data-ylk="subsec:paragraph;cpos:8;elm:context_link;itc:0" data-rapid-parsed="slk" data-rapid_p="8" data-v9y="1">rejected</a> the offer,&#8221; HuffPost reports. &#8220;Last month, Trump <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-swiss-formally-open-humanitarian-trade-channel-to-iran-11582846163" data-ylk="subsec:paragraph;cpos:8;elm:context_link;itc:0" data-rapid-parsed="slk" data-rapid_p="9" data-v9y="1">authorized</a> a new channel for humanitarian exports to the country that allows companies to seek approval for deals from the U.S. and Swiss governments without fear of incurring American penalties.&#8221;
Despite Trump opening the new channels, &#8220;producers of vital supplies are still nervous about fines, as American authorities continue to target violators of the sanctions and impose new ones, and are reluctant to deal with byzantine U.S. regulations that cover broad swathes of the Iranian economy, from banks to parts of the military,&#8221; HuffPost notes.
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Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-fauci-cautiously-offers-hope-rate-of-increase-seems-to-be-dropping-off">WATCH: Fauci Cautiously Offers Hope: Rate Of Increase Seems To Be Dropping Off</a>
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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar Demand Trump End Sanctions On Iran During Coronavirus Crisis

Ali Khamenei

Bernie Sanders

Donald Trump

Elizabeth Warren

Ilhan Omar

Iran

Mike Pompeo

Steve Mnuchin

In a rare appearance on Friday, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, praised the country&#8217;s missile strike on a U.S. airbase earlier this month while bashing President Trump as an untrustworthy clown and accusing the U.S. of using Iran&#8217;s downing of a Ukrainian passenger jet, which Iran initially tried to cover up, as a distraction.
“The fact that Iran has the power to give such a slap to a world power shows the hand of God,” Khamenei said, according to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-khamenei/khamenei-says-irans-strikes-at-us-targets-show-hand-of-god-idUSKBN1ZG0O8">Reuters.</a>
“These American clowns who lie and say they are with the Iranian people should see who the Iranian people are,” said the Iranian leader.
Khameini went on to accuse the U.S. of trying to use Iran&#8217;s horrific downing of Ukraine International Airlines flight 752 to shift international attention from the Trump-ordered strike that took out Iran&#8217;s top military leader, Qassem Soleimani, who Khameini claimed was &#8220;mourned&#8221; by &#8220;millions in Iran.&#8221;
&#8220;Khamenei told the crowd Friday that Trump is not to be trusted and only pretends to support the Iranian people,&#8221; <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/irans-supreme-leader-calls-trump-a-clown-praises-missile-attack">Fox News</a> reports. &#8220;He said Western countries are too weak to &#8216;bring Iranians to their knees.&#8217; He said Iran was willing to negotiate, but not with the U.S.&#8221;
Since Khamenei has not addressed Friday prayers in Tehran since 2012, one Middle East scholar told the Washington Post that his address is a &#8220;symbolically significant act.&#8221;
On January 8, the Iranian regime launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles against U.S. military and coalition forces in Iraq at the Asad airbase in Anbar Province. The attack followed an airstrike in Baghdad ordered by President Trump that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who he described as one of the &#8220;worst terrorists in history and the father of the roadside bomb.&#8221;
Though no Americans or Iraqis were killed or wounded in the blast, a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-11-u-s-troops-treated-after-iran-missile-attack-cnn-politicizes-theres-more-to-the-story">recent report</a> shows that at least 11 U.S. troops were treated for injuries like concussions.
“No one was killed or wounded in the five barrages of multiple missiles that night, although several military personnel who were working were checked for concussions,” <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/13/world/middleeast/Iran-missile-attack-American-base.html">The New York Times</a> reported. “The absence of casualties seemed to be the result of luck and warnings.”
A spokesman for the U.S. military command in Baghdad also said: “As previously stated, while no U.S. service members were killed in the Jan. 8 Iranian attack on Al Asad Air base, several were treated for concussion symptoms from the blast and are still being assessed.”
Shortly after the missile strike, Iran shot down a Ukranian jetliner that killed 176 people, presumably mistaking the plane for a U.S. counter-attack. Khamenei referred to the tragedy as a &#8220;bitter accident&#8221; that Iranians mourned.
Meeting in London on Thursday, ministers from Afghanistan, Britain, Canada, Sweden and Ukraine – all of which lost citizens in the crash – demanded full-transparency from Iran during the downed-plane investigation as well as compensation.
&#8220;We are here to pursue closure, accountability, transparency and justice for the victims – Ukrainian, Swedish, Afghan, British, Canadian as well as Iranian, through a full complete and transparent international investigation,&#8221; said Canadian Foreign Minister François-Philippe Champagne. &#8220;In the wake of such a horrific tragedy there are many many questions. Families want answers, all of the countries assembled here today want answers, and the international community want answers. The world is waiting for those answers and we will not rest until we get them.&#8221;

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

In Rare Sermon, Iran Leader Praises Missile Attack, Accuses U.S. Of Using Plane Tragedy As Distraction

Qassem Soleimani

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi&#8217;s appearance on ABC News&#8217; &#8220;This Week&#8221; Sunday has sparked strong criticism after she was asked if she supports the growing uprising in Iran against the country&#8217;s oppressive regime following its showdown with President Trump.
After initially lying about the cause of the horrific crash of a Ukrainian passenger jet that took the lives of all 176 people on board, Iran finally <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-iran-admits-it-shot-down-passenger-plane-killing-176-people">admitted</a> late last week what the world suspected: they shot down the Ukrainian 737, claiming that the plane was accidentally targeted when it turned toward an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) military base the night the regime launched missiles at two Iraqi bases where U.S. troops were stationed.
Iran&#8217;s admission — which came after three days of Iran&#8217;s leaders accusing America of “propagating fallacies” about the crash as part of a “psychological operation” against the country — added more fuel to a growing uprising against the terror-sponsoring regime, Iranians taking to the streets, photos and video <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-iranian-protesters-refuse-to-walk-on-u-s-israel-flags-attack-soleimani-posters">showing</a> protesters &#8220;attacking images of former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani while also refusing to walk on American and Israeli flags.&#8221; Over the weekend, the Iranian government <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/iran-opens-fire-on-demonstrators-protesters-chant-our-enemy-is-here-they-lie-to-us-that-its-america">responded</a> by firing “tear gas, rubber bullets and eventually live ammunition to disperse demonstrators.”
Amid the reports, former Bill Clinton adviser George Stephanopoulous asked Pelosi on Sunday if she supports the Iranian protesters and thinks it would be a &#8220;good thing&#8221; if the theocratic regime were overthrown. The Democratic leader responded by initially refusing to give a straight answer. Instead, the California Democrat questioned the unity of the protests and downplayed the role Iran&#8217;s tragic downing of the passenger jet has played in the growing movement.
&#8220;We&#8217;re seeing now demonstrations in the streets of Iran against the regime,&#8221; Stephanopoulos said. &#8220;Do you support those protesters? And would it be a good thing if they brought the regime down?&#8221;
&#8220;Well, the protesters are protesting, as I understand it, this brand of protesters, about the fact that that plane went down. And many students were on that plane,&#8221; she said. &#8220;These are largely students in the street.&#8221;
&#8220;I think the Iranians should have not had commercial flights going off there,&#8221; she said, in an obvious assertion before being interrupted by Stephanopoulos.
&#8220;They&#8217;re calling out the regime for lying. They&#8217;re saying &#8216;Death to Khamenei,&#8217; as well,&#8221; he stressed, referencing Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
&#8220;Well whatever it is,&#8221; said Pelosi, dismissively. &#8220;But the fact is this: There were protesters in the street before against the regime. After the taking out of Soleimani, there were protesters in the street joined together, as you know, against us. It wasn&#8217;t good.&#8221;
Having tried to make Trump the bad guy in the situation, Pelosi acknowledged Iran&#8217;s fault in shooting down the passenger plane. &#8220;Taking down this plan is a terrible, terrible tragedy,&#8221; she said, &#8220;and they should be held accountable for letting commercial flights go at a time that was so dangerous.&#8221;
The Democratic leader then emphasized what was apparently her key point. &#8220;But there are different reasons why people are in the street,&#8221; she said.
Pelosi&#8217;s problematic response to Stephanopoulous&#8217;s straightforward question — which appeared to be motivated by the speaker&#8217;s focus on making sure the Trump administration doesn&#8217;t get any credit for the Iranian people turning against the terror-sponsoring regime — earned the attention of RNC Research, which posted a clip of the exchange. &#8220;Pelosi dismisses protests in Iran against regime, &#8216;different reasons why people are in the street,'&#8221; RNC Research captioned the video.
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Pelosi dismisses protests in Iran against regime, &quot;different reasons why people are in the street&quot;<a href="https://t.co/weKuQ6fSlO">https://t.co/weKuQ6fSlO</a> <a href="https://t.co/q9YwCUZrQ9">pic.twitter.com/q9YwCUZrQ9</a>
&mdash; RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1216378286592360453?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The clip has since made the rounds online, with many others, particularly on the right, similarly <a href="https://twitchy.com/samj-3930/2020/01/13/nancy-pelosis-terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad-2020-gets-worse-following-her-iranprotests2020-comments-on-this-week/">blasting</a> the speaker for her response.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-highlights-blowback-to-pelosis-iran-protest-comments-sums-up-dems-media-strategy">Trump Highlights Blowback To Pelosi’s Iran Protest Comments, Sums Up Dems, Media Strategy</a>

Nancy Pelosi

WATCH: Pelosi Asked ‘Would It Be A Good Thing’ If Iranian Protesters Brought Down Regime After Showdown With Trump; Gets Ripped For Response

Trump Administration

President Trump addressed the nation Wednesday morning following ballistic missile strikes by Iran Tuesday targeting two Iraqi bases where U.S. and coalition troops are stationed. No American or Iraqi lives were lost in the attack, Trump announced, and Iran appears to be &#8220;standing down.&#8221; Trump also announced that the U.S. will &#8220;immediately&#8221; impose new sanctions on Iran.
&#8220;As long as I am president of the United States, Iran will never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon,&#8221; Trump began.
&#8220;I am pleased to inform you, the American people should be extremely grateful and happy: No Americans were harmed in last night&#8217;s attack by the Iranian regime,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;We suffered no casualties, all of our soldiers are safe, and only minimal damage was sustained at our military bases.&#8221;
&#8220;Our great American forces are prepared for anything,&#8221; he underscored.
&#8220;Iran appears to be standing down, which is a good thing for all parties concerned, and a very good thing for the world,&#8221; said the president.
&#8220;No American or Iraqi lives were lost because of the precautions taken, the dispersal of forces, and an early warning system that worked very well,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I salute the incredible skill and courage of America&#8217;s men and women in uniform.&#8221;
&#8220;For far too long, all the way back to 1979, to be exact, nations have tolerated Iran&#8217;s destructive and destabilizing behavior in the Middle East. Those days are over,&#8221; Trump declared. &#8220;Iran has been the leading state sponsor of terrorism, and their pursuit of nuclear weapons threatens the civilized world. We will never let that happen.&#8221;
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LIVE: President <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> Addresses the Nation <a href="https://t.co/vRH9gVAD0N">https://t.co/vRH9gVAD0N</a>
&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1214946620053184513?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2020</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Last week, we took decisive action to stop a ruthless terrorist from threatening American lives,&#8221; Trump explained in the address. &#8220;At my direction the United States Military eliminated the world&#8217;s top terrorist, Qassem Soleimani. As the head of the Quds Force, Soleimani was personally responsible for some of the absolutely worst atrocities. He trained terrorist armies, including Hezbollah, launching terrorist strikes against civilian targets. He fueled bloody civil wars all across the region. He viciously wounded and murdered thousands of U.S. troops, including the planting of roadside bombs that maim and dismember their victims. Soleimani directed the recent attacks on U.S. personnel in Iraq that badly wounded four service members and killed one American, and he orchestrated the violent assault on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. In recent days, he was planning new attacks on American targets, but we stopped him.&#8221;
The public address follows Trump&#8217;s statement late Tuesday night announcing that early casualty and damage reports indicated that no American military personnel were injured in the strikes.
As Trump stated in his remarks Wednesday, Iran has signaled that it hopes to de-escalate the situation, Iran&#8217;s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif issuing a statement late Tuesday stating that Iran does &#8220;not seek escalation or war&#8221; and suggesting that the missile attack on the two Iraqi bases was its &#8220;proportionate&#8221; response to the U.S. killing Iran&#8217;s top military leader, General Qassem Soleimani.
&#8220;Iran took &amp; concluded proportionate measures in self-defense under Article 51 of UN Charter targeting base from which cowardly armed attack against our citizens &amp; senior officials were launched,&#8221; Zarif <a href="https://twitter.com/JZarif/status/1214736614217469953?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tweeted</a> after the attack Tuesday night. &#8220;We do not seek escalation or war, but will defend ourselves against any aggression.&#8221;
A statement posted on social media later by Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, however, suggested that Iran will seek other ways than further immediate military operations to get its revenge for Soleimani&#8217;s death. The U.S. was &#8220;slapped last night, but such military actions are not enough,&#8221; Khameini <a href="https://twitter.com/khamenei_ir/status/1214833653022416896?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tweeted</a> early Wednesday. &#8220;The corruptive presence of the US in the region of West Asia must be stopped.&#8221;

WATCH: Trump Addresses Nation After Attack: No Lives Lost; Iran ‘Appears To Be Standing Down’

Iran&#8217;s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) began its &#8220;fierce revenge&#8221; for the killing of its notorious general, Qassem Soleimani, by launching over a dozen ballistic missiles Tuesday at two military bases in Iraq where U.S troops are stationed. American officials say there were no reported casualties and the damage to the bases was minimal. Now Iran&#8217;s foreign minister is signaling that the country hopes for de-escalation, though Iran&#8217;s supreme leader is sending another message: the missile strikes are &#8220;not enough.&#8221;
&#8220;The fierce revenge by the Revolutionary Guards has begun,&#8221; the IRGC, a U.S.-designated terror organization, said in a statement Tuesday via a Telegram messaging app, as reported by <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/07/world/middleeast/iran-fires-missiles-us.html">The New York Times</a>.
In a <a href="https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Releases/Release/Article/2052103/dod-statement-on-iranian-ballistic-missile-attacks-in-iraq/">statement</a> issued shortly after the attacks, the Pentagon provided some details on Iran&#8217;s strikes. &#8220;At approximately 5:30 p.m. (EST) on January 7, Iran launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles against U.S. military and coalition forces in Iraq,&#8221; the Defense Department announced. &#8220;It is clear that these missiles were launched from Iran and targeted at least two Iraqi military bases hosting U.S. military and coalition personnel at Al-Assad and Irbil.&#8221;
According to Iraqi military officials, Iran fired a total of 22 missiles at two of the military bases in Iraq where U.S. personnel are stationed, the Times reported.
In its initial statement, the Pentagon underscored that the U.S. had taken &#8220;appropriate measures&#8221; to safeguard against just such an attack. &#8220;In recent days and in response to Iranian threats and actions, the Department of Defense has taken all appropriate measures to safeguard our personnel and partners,&#8221; the statement notes. &#8220;These bases have been on high alert due to indications that the Iranian regime planned to attack our forces and interests in the region.&#8221;
The measures taken to protect U.S. troops against attack appears to have been successful. &#8220;United States officials initially said there were no immediate indications of American casualties, and senior Iraqi officials later said that there were no American or Iraqi casualties in the strikes,&#8221; the Times reports.
With reports indicating that the damage from the IRCG&#8217;s &#8220;fierce revenge&#8221; was minimal, the question is what will Iran do next. As highlighted by Washington Examiner&#8217;s <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/what-next-awaiting-trumps-response-to-iranian-missile-attack-on-us-bases-in-iraq">Jamie McIntyre</a>, Iran&#8217;s foreign minister has strongly signaled that the country is seeking de-escalation.
&#8220;Iran took &amp; concluded proportionate measures in self-defense under Article 51 of UN Charter targeting base from which cowardly armed attack against our citizens &amp; senior officials were launched,&#8221; Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif <a href="https://twitter.com/JZarif/status/1214736614217469953?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tweeted</a> after the attack Tuesday night. &#8220;We do not seek escalation or war, but will defend ourselves against any aggression.&#8221;
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Iran took &amp; concluded proportionate measures in self-defense under Article 51 of UN Charter targeting base from which cowardly armed attack against our citizens &amp; senior officials were launched.
We do not seek escalation or war, but will defend ourselves against any aggression.
&mdash; Javad Zarif (@JZarif) <a href="https://twitter.com/JZarif/status/1214736614217469953?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has been engaged in bombastic rhetoric in recent days and was personally close with Soleimani, issued his own statement following the attacks that took a different tact than Zarif&#8217;s. Such strikes, Khamenei said in a tweet posted hours after Zarif&#8217;s statement, are &#8220;not enough,&#8221; suggesting that while Iran may not take further immediate military action, it will resort to other means to get its &#8220;fierce revenge&#8221; on the U.S.
The U.S. was &#8220;slapped last night, but such military actions are not enough,&#8221; Khameini <a href="https://twitter.com/khamenei_ir/status/1214833653022416896?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tweeted</a> early Wednesday. &#8220;The corruptive presence of the US in the region of West Asia must be stopped.&#8221;
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They were slapped last night, but such military actions are not enough. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AlAssadBase?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AlAssadBase</a>
&mdash; Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) <a href="https://twitter.com/khamenei_ir/status/1214833653022416896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/top-journalist-warns-that-iran-firing-missiles-at-u-s-troops-is-not-how-theyll-retaliate">Top Journalist Warns That Iran Firing Missiles At U.S. Troops Is Not How They’ll Retaliate</a>

IRAN-IRAQ-US-UNREST

Iran’s Foreign Minister: ‘We Do Not Seek Escalation Or War’; Iran’s Supreme Leader: Military Actions ‘Not Enough’

Iraq

At the funeral of General Qassem Soleimani on Monday, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei openly cried over the death of his top military leader.
Soleimani – head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force, a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization – was killed early Friday along with another key military leader, in a strategic airstrike ordered by President Trump. The aggressive move sent shockwaves throughout the region and has been followed by threats from Iran and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-u-s-military-kills-more-top-iranian-backed-terrorist-leaders-in-airstrikes-report-says">more U.S. strikes</a> targeting pro-Iran assets.
At Soleimani&#8217;s state-organized funeral Monday, Khamenei, who worked closely with the general for decades, uttered an emotional prayer.
&#8220;Oh Allah, they are in need of your mercy, and you are exalted above punishing your servants,&#8221; said Khamenei, standing over Soleimani&#8217;s casket and surrounded by Iranian military and political figures.
&#8220;Khamenei’s voice cracked under the weight of the moment during a funeral procession unlike any in Iran’s recent history,&#8221; <a href="https://apnews.com/14792cc1d7f73ffec8f8c425b73b44fb">The Associated Press</a> reports.
&#8220;The funeral showcased the depth of the bond Khamenei had with the slain general and gave insight into how Soleimani’s death is being felt personally by the supreme leader. It could also impact how Khamenei responds to the United States,&#8221; AP underscores.
In addition to breaking down during the ceremony, Khamenei demonstrated his personal connection with the slain general by making &#8220;a rare visit to Soleimani’s home the day he was killed to offer condolences to his grieving widow and grown children,&#8221;AP notes.
In a series of tweets Friday, Khameini celebrated Soleimani’s &#8220;martyrdom&#8221; and vowed &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/severe-revenge-irans-supreme-leader-top-officials-vow-attacks-on-u-s">severe revenge</a>&#8221; on &#8220;the criminals&#8221; responsible for his death.
Soleimani was targeted just a few days after the attack on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad by a group of pro-Iran militants. In a statement issued after the strike that took out Soleimani, the U.S. Department of Defense noted that the embassy attack was &#8220;approved&#8221; by Soleimani and that he was &#8220;actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region.&#8221;
&#8220;General Soleimani and his Quds Force were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American and coalition service members and the wounding of thousands more,&#8221; the Defense Department stated in the release issued soon after the attack. &#8220;He had orchestrated attacks on coalition bases in Iraq over the last several months – including the attack on December 27th – culminating in the death and wounding of additional American and Iraqi personnel. General Soleimani also approved the attacks on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad that took place this week.&#8221;
The U.S. State Department announced in April 2019 that Soleimani was responsible for military operations that resulted in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/state-dept-iranian-general-killed-in-u-s-strike-responsible-for-17-of-american-deaths-in-iraq">17 percent</a> of the deaths of U.S. soldiers during the Iraq War (2003-2011). Along with overseeing all Iranian and Iran-supported operations against the U.S. and Coalition troops during the war, Soleimani trained Iraqi militants how to &#8220;manufacture and use especially deadly roadside bombs against U.S. troops after the invasion of Iraq,&#8221; as reported by <a href="https://apnews.com/5597ff0f046a67805cc233d5933a53ed">The Associated Press</a>.
Trump has strongly defended his decision to take out Soleimani, pointing to his murderous past and the continued threat he posed to Americans.
&#8220;General Qassem Soleimani has killed or badly wounded thousands of Americans over an extended period of time, and was plotting to kill many more…but got caught!” Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-lays-out-case-for-killing-iranian-general-taunts-tehran">tweeted</a> Friday morning. &#8220;He was directly and indirectly responsible for the death of millions of people, including the recent large number of PROTESTERS killed in Iran itself.&#8221;
&#8220;While Iran will never be able to properly admit it, Soleimani was both hated and feared within the country,&#8221; Trump continued. &#8220;They are not nearly as saddened as the leaders will let the outside world believe. He should have been taken out many years ago!&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/michael-moore-issues-personal-appeal-to-iran-gets-pummeled-online">Michael Moore Issues ‘Personal Appeal’ To Iran, Gets Pummeled</a>

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

It’s ‘Personal’: Iranian Supreme Leader Cries Over Trump Killing Soleimani

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

In 1980, former president Richard Nixon wrote a book titled The Real War detailing how the United States was losing ground to the Soviet Union on the world stage. One of his central concerns was the effects of the then recent fall of the Shah of Iran. 
Though Leftists (and Ron Paul-<a href="http://rubinreports.blogspot.com/2012/01/response-to-ron-paul-did-us-policy-make.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">types</a>) would never admit it, there was a significant threat of Soviet expansion into Iran and toward the Persian Gulf in the post-war period, which was thwarted only thanks to the Shah. Nixon witnesses this as vice-president in the 1950s, and by the time he became president the shah&#8217;s value as an ally to the United States had been cemented. 
Nixon gave a short recounting of the benefits of our alliance with the Shah that he witnessed during his term: 
<blockquote>
After the British withdrew in 1971 Iran had taken their place as the military power that guaranteed stability in the Gulf. On the eve of the British withdrawal Iranian forces occupied the strategically located islands of Abu Musa and Tumbs overlooking the Straits of Hormuz. In 1973 the Shah sent Iranian troops to Oman&#8217;s Dhofar Province, where Marxist guerrillas supplied by neighboring South Yemen were threatening the Sultan of Oman&#8217;s regime. The Shah ordered work begun on a naval base at Chah Bahar in Iranian Baluchistan to guard the entrance to the Straits of Hormuz. 
In addition to refusing to participate in the Arab oil embargo of 1967 and of 1973, the Shah had continued to recognize Israel, provided oil for our Mediterranean Fleet, and kept Iraq from playing any significant role in the Yom Kippur War by moving troops to the Iran-Iraq border and by giving covert support to rebellious Kurdish forces, thus tying down the Iraqi Army. During that war his was the only country in the area to prohibit Soviet overflights; he also rushed oil to an American carrier force in the Indian Ocean to keep it in operation. When our allies were asked to send arms to South Vietnam before the Paris accords forbade it, the Shah stripped himself of F-5&#8217;s to accommodate us.
</blockquote>
With the fall of the Shah, all of those advantages were reversed. Additionally, 1980 was still too early for many to predict the catastrophe that the reemergence of militant Islam would have in the decades to come, so we in hindsight see what Nixon could not.
It was a disaster that could have been avoided if we would have stood strong with our ally. It is a lesson we should not soon forget.

MITSOTAKIS: When Iran Was Our Ally

Iranian leaders and citizens have been chanting &#8220;Death to America&#8221; for more than 40 years, but apparently that phrase only refers to the politicians in charge, the country&#8217;s supreme leader Sayed Ali Khamenei said.
While <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-revolution-anniversary-missile/iran-reveals-missile-shows-off-underground-factory-idUSKCN1PW2GV">speaking to Iranian Air force operators</a> on the 40th anniversary of the country&#8217;s Islamic Revolution, Khamenei said his country wouldn&#8217;t stop chanting the phrase so &#8220;long as America continues its wickedness.&#8221; Khamenei&#8217;s English-language Twitter account also repeated his remarks.
&#8220;&#8217;Down with USA&#8217; means down with @realDonaldTrump, @AmbJohnBolton and @SecPompeo. It means death to the American politicians currently in power. It means death to the few people running that country; we have nothing against the American nation,&#8221; he claimed.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
&#8220;Down with USA&#8221; means down with <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> , <a href="https://twitter.com/AmbJohnBolton?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AmbJohnBolton</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/SecPompeo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecPompeo</a> . It means death to the American politicians currently in power. It means death to the few people running that country; we have nothing against the American nation. <a href="https://t.co/cq1TBZY9FR">pic.twitter.com/cq1TBZY9FR</a>
&#8212; Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) <a href="https://twitter.com/khamenei_ir/status/1093791374204420097?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
Iranians have been chanting this phrase for some 40 years, under seven American presidents &#8212; Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and now Donald Trump &#8212; but are only now claiming its always referred to the president and his top foreign policy leaders.
Of course, following this remark, Khamenei said, &#8220;As long as the U.S. practices savagery and vice, the &#8220;Down with USA&#8221; won&#8217;t get off the Iranian nation&#8217;s tongue.&#8221;
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
As long as the U.S. practices savagery and vice, the &#8220;Down with USA&#8221; won&#8217;t get off the Iranian nation&#8217;s tongue.
&#8212; Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) <a href="https://twitter.com/khamenei_ir/status/1093791855681175557?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
He followed that up by saying the &#8220;U.S. regime is the embodiment of evil, violence, creating chaos, and warmongering.&#8221;
&#8220;The U.S. regime has always lived off trespassing for fulfilling its interests. The U.S. is the embodiment of evil, then they complain why we chant &#8216;down with USA&#8217;?&#8221; he asked.
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
The U.S. regime is the embodiment of evil, violence, creating chaos, and warmongering. The U.S. regime has always lived off trespassing for fulfilling its interests. The U.S. is the embodiment of evil, then they complain why we chant &#8220;down with USA&#8221;?
&#8212; Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) <a href="https://twitter.com/khamenei_ir/status/1093792237782208513?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
Remember, Iran is the <a href="https://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/crt/2017/index.htm">leading state sponsor of terrorism</a>, according to the U.S. Department of State.
It is interesting that Khamenei would claim the phrase only refers to American leaders when those leaders have changed &#8212; and had very different visions for the country &#8212; yet the chant remained.

Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei: ‘Death To America’ Actually Means ‘Death To American Leaders’

On Tuesday, Iran informed the International Atomic Energy Agency that it will increase its uranium enrichment capacity. Ali Akbar Salehi, vice president and head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization, stated that a letter had been given to the IAEA about the increase, and stated bluntly, &#8220;If conditions allow, maybe tomorrow night at Natanz, we can announce the opening of the center for production of new centrifuges&#8221; for uranium enrichment, adding, &#8220;What we are doing does not violate the (2015 nuclear) agreement.&#8221;
Salehi claimed that Iran&#8217;s action &#8220;does not mean that we will start assembling the centrifuges,&#8221; adding that the uranium enrichment plans &#8220;do not mean the negotiations (with Europe) have failed.&#8221;
Iran&#8217;s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei,<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/05/middleeast/iran-khamenei-europe-uranium-intl/index.html"> said</a> this week &#8220;The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran is duty-bound to prepare the ground for achieving 190 thousand SWUs,&#8221; adding that the plans would be &#8220;within the framework of the JCPOA for the time being.&#8221; Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman for Iran&#8217;s Atomic Energy Organization, clarified, &#8220;The leader meant that we should accelerate some process &#8230; linked to our nuclear work capacity to move forward faster in case needed.&#8221;
In May, Khamenei said the Iran nuclear deal could remain only if the Europeans promised not to question Iran over its ballistic missile program or its regional activities.
Yisrael Katz, Israel&#8217;s intelligence minister, <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/06/05/iran-tells-un-plan-enrich-uranium-response-us-withdrawal-nuclear/">responded</a> to the news of Iran&#8217;s acceleration of uranium enrichment, stating, &#8220;If the Iranians don&#8217;t surrender now, and try to return&#8221; to unsupervised uranium enrichment, &#8220;there should be a clear statement by the President of the United States and all of the Western coalition&#8221; that &#8220;if the Iranians return&#8221; to enriching uranium giving them the capacity to build a nuclear bomb, &#8220;a military coalition will be formed against them.&#8221;

OBAMA’S BUDDIES: Iran Announces It Will Accelerate Uranium Enrichment

Israel

Nuclear Weapons

If there were any doubt about Iran&#8217;s despotic, theocratic regime&#8217;s intentions regarding the state of Israel, they should have been erased on Sunday with this tweet from the Twitter account of Iran&#8217;s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei:
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Our stance against Israel is the same stance we have always taken. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Israel?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Israel</a> is a malignant cancerous tumor in the West Asian region that has to be removed and eradicated: it is possible and it will happen. 7/31/91<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GreatReturnMarch?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GreatReturnMarch</a>
&#8212; Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) <a href="https://twitter.com/khamenei_ir/status/1003332853525110784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
</div>
This followed the threat against Israel in April from Ali Shirazi, liaison for Khamenei, when he spoke to the Iranian government&#8217;s <a href="http://english.alarabiya.net/en/features/2017/10/20/Quds-Force-Extensive-Record-of-Assassinations-Bombings.html">terrorist arm</a>, the Quds Force:
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Iran?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Iran</a>&#8216;s Leader&#8217;s representative to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IRGC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IRGC</a> Quds Force Ali Shirazi: Iran is not <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Syria?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Syria</a>. If <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Israel?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Israel</a> wants to survive a few more days, it has to stop this child game. Iran has the ability to destroy Israel &amp; given the excuse, Tel Aviv &amp; Haifa will be razed to the ground.
&#8212; raz zimmt (@RZimmt) <a href="https://twitter.com/RZimmt/status/984395369676238849?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 12, 2018</a></blockquote>
</div>
There have been <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/did-ahmadinejad-really-say-israel-should-be-wiped-off-the-map/2011/10/04/gIQABJIKML_blog.html?utm_term=.dcf8f38afe25">protestations</a> over the years from various individuals that Iran&#8217;s leaders didn&#8217;t really want to eradicate the state of Israel; but the constant stream of threats from Iranian leaders plus the fact that they have consistently lied about their efforts to develop nuclear weapons does appear to pose a genuine existential threat to the Jewish state.
In April, <a href="https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5220465,00.html">speaking</a> to other Arab countries which have sided with Israel against Iran, Khamenei stated, &#8220;With an intense and planned struggle, they should force the enemy to retreat toward the point of demise.&#8221;
In April 2015, a Kuwait newspaper<a href="http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/191966"> reported</a> that former president Barack Obama threatened to shoot down Israeli jets before they could reach nuclear facilities in Iran when he was informed Israel might attack them.

Iran’s Supreme Leader: Israel ‘Malignant Cancerous Tumor’ That Should Be ‘Removed And Eradicated’

On Thursday, Iran&#8217;s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei went on state television and urged all Muslim nations to resist America and its allies.
According to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-usa-khamenei/irans-khamenei-urges-muslim-nations-to-unite-against-u-s-state-tv-idUSKBN1HX0ZC">Reuters</a>, Khameini blustered, &#8220;The Iranian nation has successfully resisted bullying attempts by America and other arrogant powers and we will continue to resist. All Muslim nations should stand united against America and other enemies.&#8221;
Iranian leaders have been ratcheting up their belligerent rhetoric in recent days as the deadline draws nearer for President Trump to withdraw from the Iranian nuclear deal that Barack Obama signed in 2015. The deal meant the West stopped imposing sanctions on Iran for its nuclear program.
Khameini <a href="http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/04/26/559744/iran-leader-Khamenei">swaggered,</a> &#8220;It has been 40 years that the Islamic Republic of Iran has been standing against the bullying of arrogant [powers], and has achieved growing progress, capability and power to the dismay of the enemies, who were seeking to destroy this establishment. &#8230; Unfortunately, Muslim countries have been grappling with backwardness and dominance of the infidels, as they do not practice the [teachings] of the Qur&#8217;an.&#8221;
On Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/iran/if-iran-hits-tel-aviv-israel-will-strike-tehran-defense-chief-warns-1.6031178">was interviewed</a> by Elaph, a Saudi website, and responded to the rhetoric coming from Iran. He said that if Iran attacks Tel Aviv, Israel &#8220;will strike Tehran and destroy every Iranian military site that threatens Israel in Syria, whatever the price.&#8221; Lieberman hinted that the Iranian regime was on its last legs.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Urges Muslim Countries To Stand United Against America

United States

Iranian officials are warning President Trump not to release insider documents relating to the so-called nuclear deal.
Senior Iranian MP Alaeddin Boroujerdi even went as far as to suggest that the Trump administration may be in danger of irreparably damaging the reputation of the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, the agency responsible for making sure Iran complies with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPA), the formal name for the controversial nuclear deal pushed through by the Obama administration.
&#8220;If Trump wants to publish confidential documents exchanged between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency, it will in fact constitute a violation of the agency&#8217;s obligations, because the agency has been committed not to make Iran&#8217;s confidential nuclear information and documents available to any country, including the US,&#8221; Boroujerdi said, according to Iran&#8217;s semi-official government-linked <a href="http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13951125000750&amp;utm_content=buffercd985&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter.com&amp;utm_campaign=buffer">Fars News</a>.
As Chairman of the Iranian Parliament&#8217;s Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy, Boroujerdi is a well-known hardliner in parliament. He is not shy about his vision for an Islamist Iran. During his tenure, he has launched official state visits to Lebanon in order to meet with Hezbollah&#8217;s Hassan Nasrallah, the head of the Shiite terrorist group who has vowed to wipe Israel off the amp. Boroujerdi is also a Khamenei loyalist, pledging his allegiance to the Ayatollah, Iran&#8217;s Supreme Leader. The Khameneite faction of Iran&#8217;s government has long been suspicious of moderate (by Iranian standards at least) President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, the chief architects of the JCPA.
Touting Iran&#8217;s &#8220;commitment&#8221; to the nuclear deal, Boroujerdi suggested that even if the Trump White House were to leak confidential documents pertaining to the JCPA, they would prove the &#8220;the Islamic Republic&#8217;s rightfulness.&#8221;
Iran&#8217;s so-called First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri echoed Boroujerdi Tuesday, <a href="http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13951125000750&amp;utm_content=buffercd985&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter.com&amp;utm_campaign=buffer">stating</a> &#8220;Iran is bound to international agreements with the world states, but it will not retreat from its principles.&#8221;
When Jahangiri says that Iran &#8220;will not retreat from its principles&#8221; what he means is that Tehran will do everything in its power to ensure that its &#8220;peaceful&#8221; nuclear programs ploughs forward.
The Trump administration has already signaled a hardline stance on Iran, vowing to hold the Shiite power accountable in a way that the Obama administration did not. However, the president has given no indication, publicly at least, that he plans on releasing confidential documents relating to the nuclear deal.

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