President-elect’s policies of harsh sanctions led to mixed results during previous term, as Islamic Republic advanced toward nuclear weapon and strengthened proxies US President-elect Donald Trump intends to reinstall the “maximum pressure” policy his previous administration imposed against Iran, according to people briefed on his plans who spoke to The Wall Street Journal Thursday.
During his previous term, Trump installed drastic sanctions against Tehran’s oil industry with the intent of pressuring the Islamic Republic against advancing its nuclear program and funding terror groups across the Middle East.
The former president also withdrew the US from a six-nation agreement with Iran that would have paused its nuclear development, and ordered the assassination of Qassem Soleimani, who was at the time the head of the Quds Force in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
The Biden administration eased some of the pressure as it sought to reengage with Iran.
According to people familiar with Trump’s plans who spoke to The Wall Street Journal, the incoming administration seeks to renew its previous strategy by rapidly inhibiting Iran’s oil industry through methods including going after foreign ports and traders dealing in Iranian oil. These policies had mixed results, as they suffocated the Iranian economy but encouraged Tehran to continue to advance nuclear development while bolstering its proxies. It is unclear, however, to what extent Trump would increase the pressure on Iran.
“I think you are going to see the sanctions go back on, you are going to see much more, both diplomatically and financially, they are trying to isolate Iran,” a former White House official told The Journal. “I think the perception is that Iran is definitely in a position of weakness right now, and now is an opportunity to exploit that weakness.”
A new variable in Trump’s approach to Iran is the report that Iranian agents sought to assassinate him and former top national security aides after he left office in revenge for Soleimani’s assassination.
END TIMES PROPHECY WATCH 
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