Over the weekend, the Wall Street Journal posted, “A U.S. Arm-Twisting Campaign Is Cutting Iran Off From the Rest of the World.
“A former banker now with Treasury Department made a secretive trip, warning countries to end flights and cut off banks.”
The story was written by a citizen of France. Apparently tech companies are not the only importers of cheap foreign workers.
Some exclusive. Here is what Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said on August 24:
Today, at President Trump’s direction, the United States Treasury has begun Operation Economic Outcast—an unprecedented campaign against the Islamic Republic of Iran and its enablers.
In the Second World War, D-Day marked the historic beginning of a campaign with our allies to target and drive the enemy from its positions, including those in third countries.
Today, in that same spirit, we are launching an economic onslaught against Iran’s financial connections around the globe. Our objective is to sever every economic lifeline that sustains this tyrannical regime until Tehran stands alone.
Iran’s fanatics devote themselves to “Death to America” and seek nuclear weapons to do just that. They have murdered and maimed more of our citizens and service members than any other terrorist regime on Earth. And they have been at war against America, their neighbors in the Gulf, and much of the world for 47 years.
President Trump has taken action that his predecessors have long deferred. And under his leadership, America is no longer managing the Iranian threat. We are ending it.
You can read the whole thing here.
WSJ calling it an exclusive reminds me of the old commercial where the Oriental laundry man is asked how he got the clothes so clean. He replies, “Ancient Chinese secret.”
Then his equally Asian wife says, some secret. It’s Calgon, a water treatment.
Some exclusive. It’s a month old speech.
But the Wall Street Journal’s spin is Trump is twisting arms to make Iran a pariah. After 47 years of Iran declaring “death to America,” the Journal should not act surprised, but it does. The media wants Trump to fail and if misrepresenting America’s accomplishments in this war hurts Trump, the media will continue such spin.
According to the Department of the Treasury, Operation Economic Outcast New targets five areas: digital assets, technology, gold, aviation, and shipping. These expand secondary-sanctions risk for foreign companies, banks, and countries that continue dealing with Iran.
This is not much different than the economic sanctions that Biden imposed on Russia over the Ukrainian War.
Trump’s targets include shadow-fleet ships, facilitators in the UAE, Hong Kong, China, Turkey and Singapore.
These sanctions are tougher than the ones imposed on Russia because Trump bombed Iran’s military and has enforced a blockade. The goal is to force a surrender by starving the Iranian government of oil revenue and international banking access.
Iran is waiting to see if Democrats win the midterm election. The mullahs may be crazy, but they are not dumb. A Democrat Congress will force appeasement. Democrats voted to deny Trump the authority to fight Iran because Democrats long ago chose to back Iran.
Clinton gave Marc Rich a full pardon for smuggling Iranian oil. Obama gave Iran billions that were frozen and belonged to the shah.
On Saturday, the Associated Press reported, “It’s been a busy week for Iranian diplomacy that may have come to nothing.
“Iran’s president and foreign minister visited New York for the U.N. gathering of world leaders and proposed a deal with the Trump administration that would end the fighting and open the Strait of Hormuz in seven days. That’s if the U.S. ends its military blockade of Iranian ports, releases frozen Iranian assets and waives sanctions on Iranian oil sales, among other conditions—none of them new.
“What’s different after past failed attempts is the speedier timeline. Iran’s pitch to President Donald Trump said a quick deal might help him in the midterm elections in November.”
AP waited until Paragraph 6 to mention Iran’s quest for nukes, which was the main reason Trump attacked Iran. The answer from Iran remains hell no, we’re not stopping our nuke program.
The rest of the media made Trump look like the holdout to peace, harmony and unicorns dancing on the rainbow.
The New York Times said, “Trump Rejects Iranian Proposal for Cease-Fire and Opening of Strait.” Axios said, “Trump says he rejected the latest Iranian proposal.” Reuters said, “Trump rejects Iran’s proposal to open Hormuz and end fighting.”
Trump’s the bad guy not the regime that wants to nuke Israel. Liberals and Europeans have reverted to their anti-Semitic roots. They mistakenly believe Iran won’t go after the Vatican, London, Paris and Berlin.
This helps explain lack of concern about mullahs with nukes. TDS is another reason. The New Yorker said, “Iran’s Bitterness and Bewilderment Over How to Make Peace with Trump.”
How to make peace with Trump is simple. End nuclear ambitions.
Iran’s leaders won’t stop and a Democrat Congress won’t make them. That’s the bet.
I have only one criticism of the President’s handling of the Iran War. His abrupt stopping of the bombing campaign and his holding back Israel is akin to coit** interruptus, satisfying to neither party and prolonging the conflict.
The mullahs should get no discount because America has an election coming. I support Trump using financial pressure to secure enforceable concessions, and oppose trading that leverage for a campaign-season handshake. If Tehran believes a Democrat Congress will rescue it from making hard choices, Democrat leaders should disabuse it of that notion publicly. They can challenge Trump’s decisions while making clear that waiting for November buys the regime nothing. Anything short of that smacks of aid and comfort to the enemy and treason. An Iran agreement deserves to be judged by inspections, compliance, and American security. A promise to discuss nuclear restrictions later is a damn poor substitute for restrictions that actually hold. Personally, I like the "bomb the shit out of them" plan the best.