WASHINGTON, March 30 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump threatened Iran on Sunday with bombing and secondary tariffs if Tehran did not come to an agreement with Washington over its nuclear program. In Trump’s first remarks since Iran rejected direct negotiations with Washington last week, he told NBC News that U.S. and Iranian officials were talking, but did not elaborate. “If they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing,”…
A federal jury returned guilty verdicts yesterday on all five counts in the superseding indictment against Rafat Amirov, also known as Farkhaddin Mirzoev, Pᴎᴍ, and Rome, 46, of Iran; and Polad Omarov, also known as Araz Aliyev, Polad Qaqa, and Haci Qaqa, 40, of Georgia. The defendants were convicted of murder-for-hire and attempted murder in aid of racketeering charges, in a trial before U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon. Amirov and Omarov are…
A few weeks ago, in a public act at the White House, with Benjamin Netanyahu at his side, surprised, Donald Trump – the man whom the prime minister and his followers are convinced they have in their pocket – announced that the United States was opening direct, high-level talks with Iran. The gap between what the U.S. president is doing…
Trump’s reversal on Iran may be his most consequential
President Donald Trump’s instinct for disruption and tendency to shoot from the hip has caused chaos, opposition and abrupt reversals. But this week, Trump reminded us that sometimes his willingness to take risks and think outside the box can shake up tired old ways. In Saudi Arabia, he surprised everyone by meeting with Syria’s new leader (a former jihadist) and…
Trump’s Dilemma in Iran
In trying to rein in Iran’s nuclear program, the Trump administration faces a thorny dilemma. Part of it is of the president’s own making: In 2018, President Trump pulled out of the existing nuclear deal — the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action — after calling it the “worst deal ever.” In the intervening years, Iran has vastly expanded its nuclear…