Trump's national security pick vows return to maximum pressure on Iran

By Stephanie Lai

 

Donald Trump’s pick for national security adviser vowed a return to the maximum pressure campaign that defined Iran policy in the president-elect’s first term, even as leaders in Tehran signal they want to reduce tension.

 

“You’re going to see a huge shift on Iran,” after Trump takes office Jan. 20, Mike Waltz said in a Fox News interview Wednesday. “We have to constrain their cash. We have to constrain their oil. We have to go back to maximum pressure, number one, which was working under the first Trump administration.”

 

Walz’s comments reflect a consensus among Trump and several of his nominees — including for secretary of state, secretary of defense and ambassador to the UN — that President Joe Biden has been lax in enforcing sanctions against the regime. Iran’s oil exports have defied years of US sanctions to return to almost full capacity.

 

 

During his first term, Trump pulled the US out of an agreement that imposed limits on Iran’s nuclear program. During his term, Biden ramped up sanctions on Iran over its support for proxies such as Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as its strengthened ties with Russia. Biden also broadened the scope of US sanctions on Iran’s oil and gas sectors in response to a ballistic-missile attack on Israel.

 

A few things have changed since Trump’s first term as well. New reformist Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has prioritized sanctions relief and a rapprochement since his election in July, as he seeks to stabilize the country’s economy. 

 

Trump has given conflicting signals on his position toward Tehran. On the day after he was re-elected, Trump said he wants a new deal with Iran as long as it doesn’t seek a nuclear weapon. 

 

“We’re not looking to do damage to Iran, but they have — they can’t have a nuclear weapon,” Trump told reporters.