TIT FOR TAT

U.S. Announces New Sanctions on Iran Amidst Rising Tensions

Earlier Wednesday, Iran said it would enrich its uranium stockpile if global powers didn’t renegotiate the 2015 nuclear deal.

President Trump announced new sanctions on Iran’s steel, aluminum, copper, and iron sectors Wednesday, further ramping up tensions between the two sparring nations. Trump’s executive order aims to kneecap Iran’s economy, which is already struggling. The announcement comes just hours after Tehran said that it would enrich its uranium stockpile close to weapon-grade levels in 60 days if global powers did not renegotiate the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal, which the U.S. pulled out of last year, The Washington Post reports. Last week, the U.S. deployed additional forces to the Middle East to send a “message” to Iran as a response to purported “troubling and escalatory” actions—although sources told The Daily Beast that the administration was exaggerating the scope of the threat Tehran poses.