U.S. State Department: We Will Hold the Iranian Regime Accountable with All Available Tools

The U.S. Department of State told the Persian section of Voice of America that the Trump administration will continue to hold the Islamic Republic of Iran accountable "with all available tools." A spokesperson for the U.S. diplomatic apparatus, in connection with a Reuters exclusive report about President Donald Trump's intention to target Iranian oil tankers, stated to Farhad Poladi, a reporter for the Persian section of Voice of America, "As long as the [Iranian] regime allocates its energy revenues to finance attacks against our allies, support terrorism worldwide, or pursue other destabilizing actions, we will use all the tools at our disposal to hold the regime accountable." Reuters reported on Thursday, March 6, that the U.S. government is considering a plan to inspect Iranian oil tankers as part of efforts to combat the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. According to sources, Trump administration officials are currently examining ways for U.S. allies to stop and inspect vessels passing through key maritime checkpoints such as the Malacca Strait in Asia and other sea routes. The Reuters report describes this action as part of an international agreement titled "Security Against the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction," which was proposed by the U.S. 22 years ago to prevent the trafficking of weapons of mass destruction and has been signed by over a hundred countries. The Malacca Strait connects the Andaman Sea in the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea in the Pacific Ocean. The report states that this action will delay crude oil deliveries to refineries and damage the Islamic Republic's oil supply chain for revenue. According to this report, parties involved in facilitating the Iranian government's oil transactions will also be subject to sanctions and reputational damage. This comes as the Islamic Republic has managed to increase its oil exports in recent years by resorting to complex smuggling networks. Donald Trump has promised that by resuming the "maximum pressure" campaign and isolating the Islamic Republic in the international economic arena, as well as reducing the Iranian government's oil exports to zero, he will prevent the Islamic Republic from acquiring nuclear weapons. Among the first actions of the U.S. President in the early weeks of his administration were the imposition of new sanctions against shadow fleets and companies that transport crude oil from sanctioned countries using old oil tankers. Trump: I wrote a letter to Khamenei; I am hopeful for the resumption of nuclear negotiations. Negotiations between Russia and the Iranian government regarding the Islamic Republic's nuclear program. Medicalian's admission: Our ships faced problems at sea due to Trump's sanctions. A prison sentence for an individual who exported oil equipment to Iran in violation of sanctions. New U.S. oil sanctions against the Iranian government aimed at maximum pressure. Trump: The Iranian government was bankrupt and had no money for Hamas and Hezbollah.