The Trump administration is planning to hit Iran with a "flood" of sanctions before the presidential inauguration on Jan. 20 in hopes of making it more difficult for Joe Biden, should he be elected president, to return to the 2015 U.S. nuclear deal, two Israeli sources briefed on the effort told Axios.
The sanctions are separate from the Iranian nuclear program and instead linked to its ballistic missile program, assistance to terror organizations and human rights violations.
Trump backed out of the agreement in 2018, saying it failed to curtail Iran's ballistic missile program and its influence in the region.
A Biden win has boosted hopes of revitalizing the nuclear deal – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday said "an opportunity has come up for the next U.S. administration to compensate for past mistakes and return to the path of complying with international agreements through respect of international norms."
Tensions between the U.S. and Iran have escalated under the Trump administration, and the U.S. since leaving the nuclear deal has reimposed punishing sanctions on Iran that have crippled its economy.
Axios said Elliott Abrams, the Trump administration's envoy for Iran, will meet Monday with Israeli Minister of Defense Benny Gantz and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi to brief them on the plan.
Abrams in a closed-door briefing said the Trump administration wants to announce a new set of sanctions every week until Jan. 20.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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