by Oui
Tue May 13th, 2025 at 08:26:50 PM EST
Major shift in U.S. policy Middle East
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Trump Says U.S. Will Lift Sanctions Against Syria During Saudi Arabia Trip | WSJ News |
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US and Saudi Arabia sign 'biggest arms deal in history' | DW News |
Trump pulls sanctions on Syria, extends olive branch to Iran
President Donald Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia marks a significant shift in U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. He stresses Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.
Donald Trump announced he will lift all U.S. sanctions on Syria, but the timing of the lifted international penalties was remarkably suspicious.
"I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness," Trump told an auditorium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, describing the apparently unnecessary sanctions as "brutal and crippling."
Trump lays out Mideast vision as he looks to revamp US approach in Iran, Syria and beyond | AP News |
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) -- President Donald Trump on Tuesday held out Saudi Arabia as a model for a reimagined Middle East, using the first major foreign trip of his term to emphasize the promise of economic prosperity over instability in a region reeling from multiple wars.
Offering partnership to longtime foes, Trump said he would move to lift sanctions on Syria and normalize relations with the new government led by a former insurgent, and he touted the U.S. role in bringing about a fragile ceasefire with Yemen's Houthis. But Trump also indicated his patience was not endless, as he urged Iran to make a new nuclear deal with the U.S. or risk severe economic and military consequences.
With his carrot and stick approach, Trump gave the clearest indication yet of his vision for remaking the region, where goals of fostering human rights and democracy promotion have been replaced by an emphasis on economic prosperity and regional stability.
President Trump as long as I am president : Iran Will Never Have a Nuclear Weapon January 8, 2020
Qasem Soleimani: US kills top Iranian general in Baghdad air strike | BBC News - 3 Jan. 2020 |
The Trump doctrine first presidential term - 8 January 2020
Remarks by Former President Trump on Iran - January 8, 2020 | U.S. Embassy In Israel |
THE PRESIDENT: As long as I am President of the United States, Iran will never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.
Good morning. I'm pleased to inform you: The American people should be extremely grateful and happy no Americans were harmed in last night's attack by the Iranian regime. We suffered no casualties, all of our soldiers are safe, and only minimal damage was sustained at our military bases.
Our great American forces are prepared for anything. Iran appears to be standing down, which is a good thing for all parties concerned and a very good thing for the world.
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. I salute the incredible skill and courage of America's men and women in uniform.
For far too long -- all the way back to 1979, to be exact -- nations have tolerated Iran's destructive and destabilizing behavior in the Middle East and beyond. Those days are over. Iran has been the leading sponsor of terrorism, and their pursuit of nuclear weapons threatens the civilized world. We will never let that happen.
Last week, we took decisive action to stop a ruthless terrorist from threatening American lives. At my direction, the United States military eliminated the world's top terrorist, Qasem 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.
Soleimani's hands were drenched in both American and Iranian blood. He should have been terminated long ago. By removing Soleimani, we have sent a powerful message to terrorists: If you value your own life, you will not threaten the lives of our people.
As we continue to evaluate options in response to Iranian aggression, the United States will immediately impose additional punishing economic sanctions on the Iranian regime. These powerful sanctions will remain until Iran changes its behavior.
