Give us an inch and we’ll take the entire world
by digby
Can someone explain to me what the strategy for “denuclearization” of North Korea is in light of this?
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in Saudi Arabia on Saturday on a hastily-arranged visit to the Middle East as the United States aims to muster support for new sanctions against Iran.
The visit to Riyadh, Jerusalem and Amman just two days after Pompeo was sworn-in comes as President Donald Trump is set to decide whether to pull out of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran that is still supported by European powers.
“We are urging nations around the world to sanction any individuals and entities associated with Iran’s missile program, and it has also been a big part of discussions with Europeans,” Brian Hook, a senior policy advisor traveling with Pompeo, told reporters.
Hook said a salvo of ballistic missiles fired into Saudi Arabia by Yemen’s Iran-allied Houthi movement that killed a man earlier on Saturday had been provided by Tehran.
“Iran’s missiles prolong war and suffering in the Middle East, they threaten our security and economic interests and they especially threaten Saudi Arabia and Israel,” he said.
The 2015 deal that limits Iran’s nuclear program in return for sanctions relief does not cover its missile program.
Why would you push more sanctions on Iran when it’s complying with the deal it made to stop its nuclear program? What kind of message is that sending, exactly? Do what we want and we’ll just keep demanding more and hitting you harder economically?
But hey, Donald Trump is the greatest negotiator in the world, already being feted as the new Gandhi by people in the media so what do I know? Maybe logic has been overrated this whole time.