Washington: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States would fully enforce sanctions against Iran.
“The United States is going to enforce these sanctions,” Pompeo told reporters returning with him from a summit in Southeast Asia on Sunday. Asked about Tehran’s prospects for evading the prohibitions on financial transactions and eventually oil purchases from Iran, he said Iran will not succeed.
“It’s an important part of our efforts to push back against Iranian malign activity,” he said of the sanctions.
In signs of rising tensions, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have confirmed holding war games in the Gulf over the past several days, saying they were aimed at “confronting possible threats” by enemies.
One US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said possibly more than 100 vessels were involved in the drills, including small boats.
US officials said the drills appeared designed to send a message to Washington, which is intensifying its economic and diplomatic pressure on Tehran but so far stopping short of using the US military to more aggressively counter Iran and its proxies.
Read the report by Carol Morello in The Sydney Morning Herald.