Iran see Donald Trump move as 'act of war' – conflict 'more likely' than diplomacy

Speaking to Fox News, Senator Rand Paul claimed that, while he was “proud” of President Donald Trump for not engaging in military conflict, he feared that the economic stranglehold placed on Iran may lead to battle regardless. Mr Paul explained: “I’m really proud of President Trump for showing restraint. It really takes a statesman to show restraint amidst a chorus of voices for war.

“Whether the sanctions will work is, I think, another story.

“Currently, from the Iranian perspective, they see the sanctions as an act of war – cutting off their ability to sell any oil to Asia.

“The previous sanctions allowed them to sell some oil.

“This actually is becoming so stringent that they have a couple of possibilities.

“One, that they say ‘oh we’re sorry and we’re going to negotiate’.

“Or, they say ‘we’re really, really mad. And we’re going to fight.’

“Unfortunately, it looks like we’ve got them backed up against a wall.

“And I think we’re more likely to have more military confrontations than we are to have diplomacy.

New US sanctions against Iran’s supreme leader and foreign minister have closed off diplomacy, Iran said on Tuesday, blaming the United States for abandoning the only route to peace just days after the two foes came within minutes of conflict.

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing sanctions on Monday against Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other senior figures.

Sanctions against Foreign Minister Mohmmad Javad Zarif are expected later this week.

The moves came after Iran shot down a US drone last week and Trump called off a retaliatory air strike minutes before impact, which would have been the first time the United States had bombed Iran in decades of hostility between them.

Mr Trump said he decided at the last minute that too many people would die.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said on Twitter: ”Imposing useless sanctions on Iran’s Supreme Leader and the commander of Iran’s diplomacy is the permanent closure of the path of diplomacy.

“Trump’s desperate administration is destroying the established international mechanisms for maintaining world peace and security.”

In a televised address, President Hassan Rouhani said sanctions against Khamenei would have no practical impact because the cleric had no assets abroad.

source: express.co.uk