Trump Says Major Sanctions on Iran Monday After Drone Downed - Bloomberg:
President Donald Trump said the U.S. will impose major new sanctions on Iran Monday, days after he abruptly called off a plan for airstrikes against the Islamic Republic based on the concept of proportionality after Iran shot down a U.S. Navy drone.
The sanctions move, announced on Twitter with no additional detail, came as Trump spent the day at the Camp David presidential retreat having meetings and phone calls. The president foreshadowed the sanctions action earlier, in remarks at the White House.
Trump told reporters he intended to impose additional economic sanctions and that military action is “always on the table until we get this solved” and that if Iran’s leadership “behaves badly, it’s going to be a very bad day for them.”
Saturday 22 June 2019
Trump dials back rhetoric on #Iran, says he wants to make a deal - Reuters
Trump dials back rhetoric on Iran, says he wants to make a deal - Reuters:
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he would impose fresh sanctions on Iran but that he wanted to make a deal to bolster its flagging economy, an apparent move to defuse tensions following the shooting down of an unmanned U.S. drone this week by the Islamic Republic.
On Thursday, an Iranian missile destroyed a U.S. Global Hawk surveillance drone, an incident that Washington said happened in international airspace.
Tehran repeated on Saturday that the drone was shot down over its territory and said it would respond firmly to any U.S. threat.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he would impose fresh sanctions on Iran but that he wanted to make a deal to bolster its flagging economy, an apparent move to defuse tensions following the shooting down of an unmanned U.S. drone this week by the Islamic Republic.
On Thursday, an Iranian missile destroyed a U.S. Global Hawk surveillance drone, an incident that Washington said happened in international airspace.
Tehran repeated on Saturday that the drone was shot down over its territory and said it would respond firmly to any U.S. threat.
Exclusive: White House's Kushner unveils economic portion of Middle East peace plan - Reuters
Exclusive: White House's Kushner unveils economic portion of Middle East peace plan - Reuters:
The White House on Saturday outlined a $50 billion Middle East economic plan that would create a global investment fund to lift the Palestinian and neighboring Arab state economies, and fund a $5 billion transportation corridor to connect the West Bank and Gaza.
The “peace to prosperity” plan, set to be presented by White House senior adviser Jared Kushner at an international conference in Bahrain next week, includes 179 infrastructure and business projects, according to details of the plan and interviews with U.S. officials. The approach toward reviving the moribund Israeli-Palestinian peace process was criticized by the Palestinians on Saturday.
The ambitious economic revival plan, the product of two years of work by Kushner and other aides, would take place only if a political solution to the region’s long-running problems is reached.
The White House on Saturday outlined a $50 billion Middle East economic plan that would create a global investment fund to lift the Palestinian and neighboring Arab state economies, and fund a $5 billion transportation corridor to connect the West Bank and Gaza.
The “peace to prosperity” plan, set to be presented by White House senior adviser Jared Kushner at an international conference in Bahrain next week, includes 179 infrastructure and business projects, according to details of the plan and interviews with U.S. officials. The approach toward reviving the moribund Israeli-Palestinian peace process was criticized by the Palestinians on Saturday.
The ambitious economic revival plan, the product of two years of work by Kushner and other aides, would take place only if a political solution to the region’s long-running problems is reached.
UPDATE 1- #SaudiArabia named full member of anti-illicit funding body - Reuters
UPDATE 1-Saudi Arabia named full member of anti-illicit funding body - Reuters:
Saudi Arabia has been granted full membership of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global body dedicated to fighting illicit money flows, Saudi Arabia’s monetary authority said on Friday.
The kingdom had been previously denied membership after not meeting criteria in anti-money laundering and counter terrorism financing, and its accession will likely be a boost to its standing with foreign investors.
“The kingdom’s accession to the group will enhance its role in international forums and will highlight its efforts in the area of combating money laundering and the financing of terrorism,” the authority said in a statement.
Saudi Arabia has been granted full membership of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global body dedicated to fighting illicit money flows, Saudi Arabia’s monetary authority said on Friday.
The kingdom had been previously denied membership after not meeting criteria in anti-money laundering and counter terrorism financing, and its accession will likely be a boost to its standing with foreign investors.
“The kingdom’s accession to the group will enhance its role in international forums and will highlight its efforts in the area of combating money laundering and the financing of terrorism,” the authority said in a statement.
The week in energy: The oil chokepoint | Financial Times
The week in energy: The oil chokepoint | Financial Times:
When Hillary Clinton was trying unsuccessfully to win the Democratic party’s presidential nomination in 2008, her campaign ran a famous ad that asked: “It’s 3am, and your children are safe and asleep. Who do you want answering the phone?” After his last-minute decision to call off planned strikes against Iranian targets on Thursday evening, we now have a bit more of a sense of how President Donald Trump responds in that kind of crisis.
As the president described it on Twitter on Friday morning, US forces were “cocked and loaded” — with aircraft reportedly already en route towards their targets — when he asked how many people were likely to be killed in the strikes. When he was told that it was 150, Mr Trump said, he stopped the strike 10 minutes before it was scheduled to go ahead, because it would not have been “proportionate to shooting down an unmanned drone”.
Despite the president’s decision not to escalate the situation, tensions are still running high after a US reconnaissance drone was shot down by Iran over the Gulf on Thursday. Oil prices have been rising, with Brent crude ending the week up about $4 a barrel at just over $65, reflecting fears that the confrontation could turn into a conflict that will disrupt crude flows out of the Gulf.
When Hillary Clinton was trying unsuccessfully to win the Democratic party’s presidential nomination in 2008, her campaign ran a famous ad that asked: “It’s 3am, and your children are safe and asleep. Who do you want answering the phone?” After his last-minute decision to call off planned strikes against Iranian targets on Thursday evening, we now have a bit more of a sense of how President Donald Trump responds in that kind of crisis.
As the president described it on Twitter on Friday morning, US forces were “cocked and loaded” — with aircraft reportedly already en route towards their targets — when he asked how many people were likely to be killed in the strikes. When he was told that it was 150, Mr Trump said, he stopped the strike 10 minutes before it was scheduled to go ahead, because it would not have been “proportionate to shooting down an unmanned drone”.
Despite the president’s decision not to escalate the situation, tensions are still running high after a US reconnaissance drone was shot down by Iran over the Gulf on Thursday. Oil prices have been rising, with Brent crude ending the week up about $4 a barrel at just over $65, reflecting fears that the confrontation could turn into a conflict that will disrupt crude flows out of the Gulf.
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