Donald Trump: I Ended the Windfall for the Revolutionary Guard

Donald Trump, the President of the United States, on Thursday, October 12, highlighted the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear deal with Iran as one of his achievements in the newly signed "National Strategy for Counterterrorism," stating it provided a "windfall" for the Revolutionary Guard. According to the White House website, Mr. Trump wrote in the introduction of the new U.S. strategy for counterterrorism: "Under my administration, America's efforts to crush terrorists accelerated." After mentioning the defeat of ISIS in Iraq and Syria with the help of U.S. allies, he said: "I ended America's participation in the terrible deal with Iran. A deal that provided a windfall for the Revolutionary Guard and its proxy groups and financed Iran's misbehavior in the world." Emphasizing the importance of the "National Strategy for Counterterrorism," he stated: "We will use all the tools of American power to protect our great nation and defeat our enemies." The 34-page strategy document identifies "Islamic extremist terrorists," "Iran as the largest state sponsor of terrorism," and "other forms of terrorism" as the main threats facing the United States. The document repeatedly mentions the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Quds Force, naming proxy groups of the Guard, notably Hezbollah, and cites "Iran's destabilization in the region and globally," including Iraq, Lebanon, Palestinian territories, Syria, and Yemen, as threats to the United States. Former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama published their counterterrorism strategies at the beginning of their presidencies in 2006 and 2011, respectively. John Bolton, the National Security Advisor to the President, also specifically named Iran in explaining the new U.S. strategy against terrorism, calling the Islamic Republic the "central bank of global terrorism." Mr. Bolton referred to U.S. sanctions, particularly the second round of sanctions set to take effect on November 5, stating: "The goal is to make no exceptions for countries buying oil from Iran, potentially bringing Tehran's oil sales to zero." Iran has yet to respond to the statements made by Donald Trump and his National Security Advisor.