Donald Trump: Iran is Rapidly Gaining Control Over More of Iraq

The President of the United States accused Iran of rapidly gaining control over more of Iraq, despite the fact that the U.S. has wasted a lot of money in that country. Donald Trump tweeted early on Thursday, February 3, stating: "Iran is rapidly gaining more and more control over Iraq even though the U.S. has wasted three trillion dollars in this country. It is clear this has been happening for a long time!" The Hill, which covers congressional and political news in the U.S., noted that it is unclear what Mr. Trump's tweet refers to, as Iran has been involved in military operations against the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq since 2014. During his election campaign in August 2015, Trump discussed his plan to combat ISIS in Iraq, saying, "I will hit their source of wealth, their main source of wealth, which is oil." In an interview with MSNBC, he added: "In this context, you have to go into the ground of this country. I hit them hard and surround them, and I take this oil for our country." Trump also took a similar stance in November 2015, stating that he would "bomb" ISIS refineries in Iraq and then U.S. oil companies would rebuild them for the United States. He added: "The oil companies will build these refineries 'like the first day. They will be beautiful, and I will take their oil. And I have said that I will take their oil.'" The new U.S. administration's stance against the Islamic Republic of Iran has intensified in recent days, with officials separately warning about what they call Iran's "interventionist" and "destabilizing" actions in the Middle East. Michael Flynn, Trump's national security advisor, condemned Iran's new missile test on Wednesday evening, stating that from today, we are officially warning the Islamic Republic. He added: "Iran's ballistic missile test puts the lives of people in America at risk; it is a threat to America, its friends, and allies in the region, and Washington condemns such actions." Previously, Iranian officials had stated that the military programs of their country have a "defensive nature." James Mattis, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, also called for action against what he described as Iran's "interventionist" actions in the Middle East during a phone conversation with his Saudi counterpart on Tuesday. The Islamic Republic of Iran is accused of intervening in the internal affairs of Yemen, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon through the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guard and supporting Shia movements for its own purposes. However, Tehran denies these accusations. Donald Trump is a critic of the nuclear agreement made in July 2015 between Iran and six world powers, including the U.S., and has repeatedly stated during his election campaign that this is the "worst deal ever" and that he would tear it up if elected president.