Pentagon Identifies 'New Areas for Pressure on Iran'

Following Donald Trump's refusal to certify the Islamic Republic's compliance with the JCPOA and the announcement of a new strategy, the U.S. Department of Defense announced on Friday that it is identifying 'new areas for pressure on Iran' as part of this new strategy. On Friday, October 13, the U.S. President allowed the Treasury Department to add the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to its sanctions list. Mr. Trump also stated that based on credible information he has received, he is unable to certify Iran's compliance with the nuclear agreement. According to Reuters, a Pentagon spokesperson announced on Friday that the department is looking for new areas where it can 'apply pressure on Iran in cooperation with our allies.' The spokesperson said, 'We are identifying new areas where we can apply pressure on Iran with our allies, neutralize Iran's destabilizing influence, and limit Iran's aggressive power, especially in terms of supporting terrorist and militia groups.' In this context, shortly after Trump's speech, U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis also stated in a conversation with reporters at the Pentagon that following Trump's new strategy, his 'top priority' will now be direct consultation with U.S. allies in the Middle East and other parts of the world. The only countries that welcomed Mr. Trump's new strategy and praised his actions following his speech were Saudi Arabia and Israel, which have had either tumultuous relations or no relations with the Islamic Republic in recent years. According to Mr. Mattis, he now wants to understand what U.S. allies think about the Islamic Republic's 'misconduct' in areas beyond nuclear activities. The Associated Press noted Secretary Mattis's reference to Iran's support for 'extremist groups' and Iran's ballistic missile program. James Mattis also emphasized that the United States intends to 'dissuade' the Islamic Republic from sending weapons to Yemen. He also mentioned the sending of explosives to Bahrain and to Hezbollah in Lebanon. The Islamic Republic has always been accused, especially in recent years, by its Arab neighbors in the Persian Gulf of interfering in their internal affairs and sending weapons and explosives to some of them. While Tehran has always denied these accusations, Reuters reported in July of this year, citing Iranian and Western sources, that the IRGC had used open waters between Kuwait and Iran in recent months to transport weapons to the Houthis in Yemen. Kuwait officially denied this report a day later. Iran supports the Shia Houthis in Yemen, who are at war with the official Yemeni government and its supporter, Saudi Arabia.