Posted on 04/28/2018 6:00:14 AM PDT by MarvinStinson
President Donald Trump on Friday castigated Iran for being a destabilizing force in the Middle East, saying at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel that wherever there is a "problem" in the region, the Islamic Republic is "right there."
Trump said that he and Merkel discussed Iran during their meeting earlier at the White House. Iran was expected to be a contentious issue between the two world leaders, as Trump has lambasted the Iran nuclear deal and threatened to withdraw from it while Merkel strongly supports the accord.
U.S. and European officials have been discussing a possible side agreement to the deal to address key concerns Trump has about its provisions. Trump has until May 12 to decide whether to continue suspending economic sanctions on Iran that were lifted under the 2015 deal but come up for periodic review.
"The Iranian regime fuels violence, bloodshed, and chaos all across the Middle East," Trump said. "We must ensure that this murderous regime does not even get close to a nuclear weapon, and that Iran ends its proliferation of dangerous missiles and its support for terrorism."
"No matter where you go in the Middle East, wherever there's a problem, Iran is right there," Trump added.
The State Department consistently names Iran as the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism in an annual report. Tehran, whose leaders have said they seek to destroy Israel, has steadfastly supported the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the ongoing conflict in Syria, and has provided weapons to the Houthi rebels in Yemen, who have fired missiles on U.S. Navy ships and Saudi Arabia.
Trump also warned that Iran must not "profit" from American success in the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, and called on U.S. allies in the Middle East to "step up their financial and military contributions for the anti-ISIS efforts."
That looks like a shot over the bow. It looks like this is the next one on his to-do list.
Iran is the proxy by which Germany can express its core anti Semitism.
All that cash valjar oops I mean Obama freed up for Iran now flows to Germany and France.
Meanwhile, Uranium from the US went to Iran via Russia. Thanks, Hillary and valjar oops I mean Obama. People in the know call it the Iranium One scandal.
I like that Trump is so blunt. None of the mealy-mouthed politicians who held his office previously had the nerve to speak like this except for RR.
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani, Russia's Vladimir Putin and Turkey's Tayyip Erdogan meet in Sochi, Russia November 22, 2017. (photo credit: SPUTNIK/MIKHAIL METZEL/KREMLIN VIA REUTERS) The Three Amigos
Agreed! We could drone strike a couple of those and Putin would have to start shooting in Syria again.
President George W. Bush’s “Axis of Evil” consisted of Iraq, North Korea, and Iran. Bush toppled Saddam in Iraq. President Trump took just over a year to get North Korea to the negotiating table - after others failed for 68 years. It should be no surprise to find that Iran is next.
...Or you could say:Where ever there is a problem in the Middle East JIMMY CARTER is right there”. (Thanks, Jimmy.)
Or, if there’s any problem in the world, the French have something to do with it. The Ayatollah Khomeini lived in exile in France before returning to Iran.
Remember that Jimmy Carter, Ted Kennedy, and the democrats were so hell bent on deposing the Shah and ushering in the Ayatollah(Khomani). When the Shah was in there, things were much smoother, but Carter and Kennedy knew better, they thought. After he was deposed and was suffering from cancer, he wanted to come to the United States for treatment, and guess who kept him out.
Good point - yes, the French connection. Also a player in the disaster of the Vietnam war - they created a situation, then persuaded America to come and take their place. Which does not excuse the USA for its errors of judgment, but does indicate the wider picture.
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