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Jump to: 2017; 2018; 2019;
2020;
-- 2016 --
January 16:
Iran Releases Americans in Prisoner Swap ...
The Obama administration ... agreed to
release seven Iran nationals who
were either jailed in the
U.S. or facing charges,
U.S. and Iranian officials said.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/iran-releases-four-unnamed-american-prisoners-state-tv-says-1452955793
January 16: Iran on Saturday freed four imprisoned Americans ... in exchange for the U.S.
release or pre-trial pardon of seven people of Iranian descent.
A fifth American in Iranian custody was also released.
The prisoner exchange came the same day the Iran nuclear deal was declared as
formally implemented, marking an extraordinary moment in the often-bitter
history of U.S.-Iran relations.
https://www.politico.com/story/2016/01/iran-prisoners-217875
Undated 2016: At around the same time [as the Iranian prisoner exchange], the U.S.
airlifted the equivalent of USD $400 million in various currencies to Tehran,
sparking conspiracy
theories about the timing:
... the $400 million dollar transfer was actually an openly announced one, paid
in settlement of a nearly 40-year dispute between Iran and the United States — a
settlement that likely saved the United States several billion dollars.
https://www.snopes.com/obama-bribed-iran-400-million-to-release-u-s-prisoners/
-- 2017 --
Back to top
July 21: U.S. President Donald Trump warned
that Iran would face “new and serious consequences” unless all unjustly detained
American citizens were released and returned, the White House said in a
statement on Friday.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-iran/trump-warns-iran-over-detained-americans-white-house-idUSKBN1A62Q3
July 22: House and
Senate negotiators announced an agreement was reached Saturday morning for a
bill that would include new sanctions against Russia, Iran, and North Korea ... the legislation will
give Congress a new ability to block [Trump's] administration from easing
sanctions on Moscow.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/22/politics/congress-deal-russia-sanctions/index.html
September 3:
Iran upholds 10-year jail terms for three Americans
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/09/iran-upholds-10-year-jail-terms-americans-170904011240633.html
September 25: President Trump [tweeted]
“Iran just test-fired a Ballistic Missile capable of reaching Israel. They are
also working with North Korea. Not much of an agreement we have!”
... But it
turns out Iran never fired a ballistic missile ...
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/09/25/irans-supposed-missile-launch-was-fake-us-officials-say.html
October 6:
Trump after
saying: "It could be ... the calm, the calm before the storm."
"We have the world's great military people in this room, I will
tell you that.
Reporter: "What storm, Mr. President?"
Trump:
"You'll find out."
http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/06/politics/trump-storm-coming/index.html
October 6:
Donald Trump is treating a
potential war like a reality show cliffhanger
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2017/10/06/trump_treating_a_potential_war_like_a_reality_show_cliffhanger_423058.html
October 11: [Trump] was incensed by the
arguments of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and
others that the landmark 2015 [Iran] deal, while flawed, offered stability and other
benefits. He did not want to certify to Congress that the agreement remained in
the vital U.S. national security interest and that Iran was meeting its
obligations. He did not think either was true.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2017/10/11/threw-fit-trump-anger-over-iran-deal-forced-aides-scramble-for-compromise/kAouLPBUqd6xxzXIxOxS9J/story.html?p1=Article_Recommended_ReadMore_Pos3
October 12: Even some of Trump's own aides
have worried the President is more interested in deploying bellicose threats
against Tehran than taking productive steps toward stabilizing the region. It's
a fear that's shared by Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill, who must now
determine a feasible path for either salvaging the nuclear deal or taking steps
to dismantle it.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/13/politics/iran-deal-decertify/index.html
Back to top
October 13: President Donald Trump will
announce a combative new strategy toward Iran on Friday, publicly rejecting the
United States' adherence to his predecessor's nuclear deal but stopping short,
for now, of scrapping the agreement entirely.
... the Trump administration
wants members of Congress to adopt new measures that would keep the deal intact,
while spelling out parameters by which the US would impose new sanctions should
Iran violate its agreements.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/13/politics/iran-deal-decertify/index.html
October 13:
Donald Trump has threatened to
terminate the 2015 Iran nuclear deal if Congress and US allies fail to amend the
agreement in significant ways.
“Based on the factual record I have put forward, I am announcing today that we
cannot and will not make this certification. We will not continue down a path
whose predictable conclusion is more violence, more terror and the very real
threat of Iran’s nuclear breakout,” Trump said at the White House.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/oct/13/trump-iran-nuclear-deal-congress
October 13: World leaders were quick to
react to US President
Donald Trump's
decision to "decertify" an international deal on Iran's nuclear programme.
The 2015 deal, reached between
Iran and the
United States, Britain, France,
Germany,
Russia and the
European Union, saw Tehran curtailing its nuclear programme in exchange for
the easing of crippling economic sanctions.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/10/world-leaders-react-donald-trump-speech-iran-171013183124584.html
October 14: [John Kerry, the former U.S.
Secretary of State] said [President Donald Trump's decision not to certify that
Iran] is a "reckless abandonment of facts in favor of ego and ideology." Kerry,
who negotiated the deal, added that Trump "weakens our hand, alienates us from
our allies, empowers Iranian hardliners, makes it harder to resolve North Korea
and risks moving us closer to military conflict."
Iran's president said Friday the nuclear deal ... could not be revoked.
[Nancy Pelosi] said Trump ignored "the overwhelming consensus of nuclear
scientists, national security experts, generals and his own Cabinet, including,
reportedly, his secretary of defense and secretary of state."
https://www.voanews.com/a/kerry-on-trump-nuclear-deal-reckless-abandonment-of-facts/4070267.html
October 15: White House Officials Tone Down
Trump Rhetoric, Insist U.S. Will Stay in Iran Deal
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2017/10/15/white_house_officials_tone_down_trump_rhetoric_insist_u_s_will_stay_in_iran.html
-- 2018 --
Back to top
January 12: Trump issues warning, but
continues to honor Iran deal ...
President Donald Trump on Friday avoided upending the nuclear deal with Iran
that he has repeatedly disparaged, agreeing to waive key sanctions the US lifted
as part of the deal.
But Trump warned Friday in a statement that the waiver -- which must be issued
every 120 days to keep the sanctions from kicking back in -- will be the last he
issues and he delivered a stark ultimatum to European allies on Friday: "Fix the
deal's disastrous flaws, or the United States will withdraw."
http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/12/politics/president-donald-trump-iran-deal-waiver/index.html
March 13: Why Secretary of State nominee
Mike Pompeo is probably bad news for Iran
The likely appointment of CIA Director Mike Pompeo as the new secretary of
state following President Donald
Trump's shock firing of Rex Tillerson could spell more bad news for Iran.
Pompeo, named as his pick for secretary of state by Trump on Tuesday shortly
after he announced Tillerson's departure on Twitter, has taken a notoriously
tough stance on Iran in the past in his erstwhile role as director of the CIA.
Not only has Pompeo likened Iran to the Islamic State (ISIS) militant group,
calling the country a "thuggish police state" in a speech in October, he has
also promised to constrain Iran's investment environment and "roll back" its
2015 nuclear deal.
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/13/why-new-secretary-of-state-mike-pompeo-is-probably-bad-news-for-iran.html
April 23: Pressure grows on Trump to keep
Iran nuclear deal alive
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-nuclear/pressure-grows-on-trump-to-keep-iran-nuclear-deal-alive-idUSKBN1HU28R
May 6: Trump committed to 'regime change' in
Iran, his lawyer Giuliani says
https://www.rt.com/usa/425960-trump-regime-change-iran/
May 7: President Donald Trump took to
Twitter on Monday to condemn former
Secretary of State John Kerry for engaging in “shadow diplomacy”
to try to preserve the Iran nuclear deal by holding meetings and speaking with
major players, who, like Kerry, do not want Trump to withdraw the US from the
agreement.
http://boston.cbslocal.com/2018/05/07/trump-kerry-shadow-diplomacy-iran-deal/
May 7: UK Foreign Secretary Before Meeting
With Pence: Fix Iran Deal, Do Not Pull Out
http://insider.foxnews.com/2018/05/07/boris-johnson-meeting-mike-pence-fix-iran-deal-trump-should-not-pull-out
May 7: Analysis: Iran’s missile threat and
Israel’s message to Russia and Assad
Tehran understands that Israeli messages are part of a wider strategy.
Iran is ... trying to play the “good cop” to US President Donald Trump’s “bad
cop” on the international stage. With Trump expected to make an Iran deal
decision next week, Iran threatens that the US would regret leaving the JCPOA
Iran deal ...
https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Iran-News/Analysis-Irans-missile-threat-and-Israels-message-to-Russia-and-Assad-553678
Back to top
May 8: Trump: The United States will
withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal
“We will be instituting the highest level of economic sanction," he warned. "Any
nation that helps Iran in its quest for nuclear weapons could also be strongly
sanctioned by the United States.”
https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-iran-nuclear-deal/index.html
May 8: The nuclear accord came after years
of diplomacy and negotiations over Iran’s nuclear ambitions, culminating in 2015
during President Barack Obama’s administration.
Whatever he decides, Trump said, the international agreement would expire in
seven years anyway, and Iran would be able to build nuclear weapons.
“... President Trump’s statement indicates either abject confusion over the
parameters of the JCPOA or a willful misinterpretation of that deal,” said
Alexandra Bell, senior policy director at the Center for Arms Control and
Non-Proliferation. “Either way, it is dangerous, as Iran will never be ‘free to
go ahead and create nuclear weapons.’ ”
As a signatory to the
Non-Proliferation Treaty, Iran has pledged not to develop nuclear weapons —
ever. In agreeing to the JCPOA, Iran recommitted itself to the Non-Proliferation
Treaty, Bell said. “The NPT is of indefinite duration and serves as the
underpinning for the entire global non-proliferation regime,” she said.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2018/05/08/trumps-claim-that-iran-could-build-nuclear-weapons-in-seven-years/?utm_term=.28157c438ef0
May 8: From Doomsday to Delay: 5 Scenarios
Ahead of Trump’s Decision on the Iran Nuclear Deal
From the U.S. president signing another sanctions waiver to Tehran resuming its
uranium enrichment, here are five potential outcomes – all the way up to war in
the Middle East
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/iran-israel-and-trump-5-scenarios-ahead-of-the-iran-nuclear-deal-1.6067089
May 8:
US crude oil slips ahead of Trump decision on Iran
Prices ease back from highs above $70 a barrel before announcement on nuclear
deal
https://www.ft.com/content/bb575d66-5206-11e8-b3ee-41e0209208ec
May 8: Israel’s prime minister is praising
President Donald Trump for withdrawing the U.S. from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
Benjamin Netanyahu called Trump’s decision Tuesday a “historic move.” He says
leaving the Iran deal unchanged would be “a recipe for disaster, a disaster for
our region, a disaster for the peace of the world.”
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/watch-netanyahu-praises-trump-for-withdrawing-from-iran-nuclear-deal
May 8: Israel on “high alert” after Trump
Iran deal announcement
There’s a suspicion of a possible Iranian attack.
https://www.vox.com/2018/5/8/17332424/iran-nuclear-deal-israel-attack-trump
Back to top
May 9: Russia ‘deeply disappointed’ at
Trump’s withdrawal from Iran deal
Moscow says US rejection of accord 'trampling on the norms of international
law'; Erdogan warns it will 'cause instability and new conflicts'
https://www.timesofisrael.com/russia-deeply-disappointed-at-trumps-withdrawal-from-iran-deal/
May 9: Obama, Kerry slam Trump withdrawal
from Iran deal as path to war
"We could be hastening the day when we are faced with the choice between living
with that threat, or going to war to prevent it," the former president said.
https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Iran-News/Obama-Kerry-slam-Trump-withdrawal-from-Iran-deal-as-path-to-war-554856
May 9: Iranians protest Trump's decision on
nuclear deal, fearing renewed sanctions
... demonstrators took to the streets of the capitol to protest the U.S. leaving
the 2015 nuclear deal.
The hardliners didn't waste any time, and by late afternoon, they'd arranged a
noisy demonstration. In front of the old American embassy, we saw a crowd
chanting "death to America" and setting the American flag on fire.
Some students are cheerleaders for Iran's Revolutionary Guard, who don't want
Iran opening up to the world, and who have no time for America.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/iranians-protest-trumps-decision-on-nuclear-deal-fearing-renewed-sanctions/
May 9: Iran Supreme Leader: Don't trust
America, Trump speech silly & superficial
Trump "will turn to dust and his body will become food for snakes and ants,"
said Iran's Khamenei.
https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Iran-News/Iran-Supreme-Leader-Dont-trust-America-Trump-speech-silly-and-superficial-555933
May 10: Is Trump repeating the mistakes of
the Iraq War in Iran?
https://www.pri.org/stories/2018-05-10/trump-repeating-mistakes-iraq-war-iran
May 10: Netanyahu says Iran 'crossed a red
line' after Israel pounds Iranian targets in Syria
In the most direct confrontation between Israel and Iran to date, the two
regional enemies exchanged fire for hours during a volatile night.
The extended barrage of fire comes amid
soaring tensions between Israel and Iran, two
rivals battling for regional influence, and less than two days after the
United States withdrew from the deal to curb Iran's nuclear program.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/09/middleeast/israel-rockets-syria/index.html
Back to top
May 10: Did Iran attack Israel from Syria
and why would they?
Lack of response from Tehran implies either that the Revolutionary Guards' al
Quds force operated without the administration's knowledge – or that Tehran is
indeed taking its promised revenge
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/iran-israel-attack-why-syria-golan-heights-war-air-strikes-rockets-a8345406.html
May 21: Pompeo set to unveil US "Plan B" to
confront Iran
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will unveil the administration's "Plan B" for
countering Iran on Monday, an idea that some critics call a "pipe dream," while
others question whether the administration is coming clean on its goals for the
country.
The plan, administration officials say, is to assemble a global coalition to
pressure Iran into negotiations on "a new security architecture" that goes
beyond its nuclear program.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/20/politics/pompeo-iran-speech-scenesetter/index.html
May 24: Trump on collision course with
Congress on ZTE, the Chinese telecommunications giant sanctioned for doing
business with Iran and North Korea.
Trump has publicly signaled his desire to ease the restrictions on ZTE as he
seeks China's cooperation on North Korea talks and hammering out a trade deal.
But Trump’s pivot on ZTE has received terrible reviews from Republicans in
Congress, who have joined with Democrats in passing measures to ensure the
restrictions are kept in place.
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/389097-trump-on-collision-course-with-congress-on-zte
July 24: Trump says U.S. ready to make a
'real deal' on Iran’s nuclear program
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-nuclear-trump/trump-says-u-s-ready-to-make-a-real-deal-on-irans-nuclear-program-idUSKBN1KE2I7
July 24: Trump's loud tweet was part of a
detailed strategy to squeeze Iran ... It would be easy to write off President
Donald Trump’s
bellicose tweet threatening Iran Monday morning as a bit of “wag the dog,” a
diversionary tactic to blunt criticism of his
fawning treatment of Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, or from the news that
his lawyer may possess embarrassing tapes with his voice.
There was no doubt that a tweet warning Iran it could suffer "consequences the
likes of which few throughout history have ever suffered" would get a great deal
of global attention, and to make sure that it did, Trump wrote most of the tweet
in capital letters.
But according to multiple administration sources and briefings over several
weeks with senior officials, the crackdown on Iran was long planned, and is
entirely consistent with Trump's long-stated objectives.
https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/iran-nuclear-talks/trump-s-loud-tweet-was-part-detailed-strategy-squeeze-iran-n893826
July 26: Trump Has Made Iran Public Enemy
No.1. How Far Will He Go?
http://time.com/5349521/donald-trump-iran-sanctions/
Back to top
August 7: The first set of U.S. sanctions
against Iran that had been eased under the landmark nuclear accord went back
into effect early Tuesday under an executive order signed by President Donald
Trump, targeting financial transactions that involve U.S. dollars, Iran’s
automotive sector, the purchase of commercial planes and metals including gold.
More U.S sanctions targeting Iran’s oil sector and central bank are to be
reimposed in early November.
In an early-morning tweet, Trump said the re-imposition of sanctions mean,
“Anyone doing business with Iran will NOT be doing business with the United
States.”
http://time.com/5359283/trump-increases-sanctions-iran/
August 16: Iranians vent anger at Trump as
the wheels come off their economy
https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/16/middleeast/iran-sanctions-tehran-families-intl/index.html
September 4: Bob Woodward's new book reveals
a 'nervous breakdown' of Trump’s presidency
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-bob-woodward-book-trump-breakdown-20180904-story.html
September 6: One of America's most senior
former diplomats tells CNN that she believes the country is "at a very dangerous
place."
Wendy R. Sherman, former Undersecretary of State and President Obama's lead
nuclear negotiator with Iran, spoke with Christiane Amanpour as explosive
revelations about President Trump were leaking from Bob Woodward's new book,
"Fear."
"These are echoes of other books and other reporting we have heard about what
the Trump White House is like," Sherman told Amanpour on Wednesday. "What makes
this a bombshell is the author. There is no one more credible than Bob
Woodward."
Sherman is a veteran
US negotiator, known as "The Silver Fox" by her colleagues. She spent years
mediating the Iran nuclear deal, one that Trump has left at risk of collapse.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/06/politics/wendy-sherman-amanpour-cnntv/index.html
September 12:
White House Threatens Iran With Retaliation Over Militant Attacks ...
The Trump administration has signaled a new phase in its confrontation with
Iran, threatening to retaliate for attacks by Iranian-backed militants in Iraq,
even as it moves to avoid a potentially messy public split with allies over
President Trump’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal.
Days after rocket strikes near American diplomatic facilities in Baghdad and
Basra, the White House blamed Shia militia groups on Wednesday and said, “Iran
did not act to stop these attacks by its proxies in Iraq, which it has supported
with funding, training and weapons.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/12/us/politics/trump-iran-militants-iraq.html
October 3: U.S. ordered to lift some Iran
sanctions by International Court of Justice
Back to top
The Trump administration is expected to challenge the court's jurisdiction in a
future hearing.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/u-s-ordered-lift-some-iran-sanctions-international-court-justice-n916136
November 12: President Trump’s sanctions
bring fear and misery for Iran’s air travelers, aviation industry
Iran’s isolation from the world has left it with one of the oldest
civil-aviation fleets in the world and facilitated a fatal trend in its
aviation-safety record that experts say is likely to continue amid President
Donald Trump’s renewal of economic sanctions on Tehran.
Western manufacturers, under the sanctions, are strictly prohibited from selling
planes and even crucial spare parts to Iran. The sanctions started again in
August and were re-imposed in full on Nov. 5. with a new clampdown on Iran’s
central banks and the nation’s ability to export oil, a vital industry, after
Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2018/11/12/iran-economic-sanctions-president-donald-trump-airlines-nuclear-deal/1819272002/
November 24: Iran's president calls on
Muslims to unite against US
https://thehill.com/policy/international/middle-east-north-africa/418065-rouhani-calls-on-muslims-to-unite-against-us
December 7: Iran's Rouhani denounces US
sanctions as 'economic terrorism'
He also accused US of trying to 'foment fear' among other countries to prevent
them from investing in Iran.
Countries and non-American companies face stiff penalties by the US if they
continue to do business with Iran. However, the US also issued waivers to
several countries, allowing them to continue buying Iranian oil.
The US sanctions have led to diminished foreign investments in Iran in the last
few months, forcing many companies to shut down their operation, while also
causing the Iranian currency to plummet and triggering inflation.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/12/iran-rouhani-denounces-sanctions-economic-terrorism-181208065401014.html
December 8: World War 3 FEARS: Iran
threatens Trump with 'BOMBS AND TERRORISM' over sanctions
IRAN’s firebrand president has warned the West will be flooded with “a deluge of
drugs, asylum seekers, bombs and terrorism” due to Donald Trump’s sanctions
against Tehran.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1056112/world-war-3-iran-news-hassan-rouhani-donald-trump-nuclear-deal-sanctions
December 14: Iranians Are Converting To
Evangelical Christianity In Turkey
https://www.npr.org/2018/12/14/669662264/iranians-are-converting-to-evangelical-christianity-in-turkey
December 20:
Turkey, Iran vow to work closer on Syria after US
announcement
Without commenting on US troop withdrawal, Erdogan and Rouhani vow to continue
efforts to bring peace to country.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/12/turkey-iran-vow-work-closer-syria-announcement-181220142855691.html
-- 2019 --
Back to top
May 4: The U.S. is sending the USS
Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a bomber task force to the
Middle East in order "to send a
clear and unmistakable message to the Iranian regime," National Security
Adviser John Bolton announced Sunday night ... the deployment was in response to
"a number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings" on the part of
Tehran ....
https://www.foxnews.com/world/iran-john-bolton-uss-abraham-lincoln-middle-east-israel-hamas
-- 2020 --
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