Iran’s Foreign Minister Responds to Renewed US ‘Maximum Pressure’ Campaign “`

JERUSALEM—Experts on the Middle East say that Donald Trump’s decision to reinstate his “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran has sent shockwaves through the Iranian regime, marking a sharp departure from the Biden administration’s more lenient approach.

Trump also issued a warning on Tuesday, stating that if Iran carries out an assassination, his administration will ensure the country’s destruction.

Trump’s message appeared to garner a response from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who stated on Tuesday that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons is achievable. He also dismissed the “maximum pressure” strategy as a failed experiment, asserting that its repetition would only yield further failure. He did not address Trump’s sanctions targeting Iranian oil exports and Tehran’s support for terrorist organizations.

Yossi Mansharof, an Iran analyst at the Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy in Israel, told Digital, “Despite oil sanctions on Iran, data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) shows that Iran’s oil revenue soared to $144 billion in the first three years of Biden’s presidency (January 2021–January 2024), $100 billion more than during the last two years of the Trump administration. “

Mansharof explained, “While Biden tightened sanctions, their lax enforcement allowed Iran to continue profiting from oil exports, significantly bolstering its economy. This approach reflects a flawed strategy of attempting diplomatic engagement with Ali Khamenei [Iran’s supreme leader] while overlooking Iran’s oil smuggling.”

Digital also extensively reported on  mechanisms that facilitated repeated $10 billion payments into Iran’s treasury. 

Mansharof welcomed the renewed “maximum pressure” campaign but cautioned that, given Iran’s nuclear advancements, its efficacy is uncertain. He argued, “Military pressure on Iran is necessary to disrupt its activities, send a strong message regarding its nuclear ambitions, and deter further destabilizing actions.”

Both Republican and Democratic administrations have designated Iran as the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism. Trump’s Tuesday signing of the  (NSPM) reinstating maximum pressure on Iran aims to deny Iran all pathways to a nuclear weapon and counter its harmful global influence. Iran’s regime funds the U.S.-designated terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah.

Dan Diker, President of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, told Digital, “President Donald Trump’s  strategy to cripple the Iranian regime represents another key difference from the Biden administration’s defensive and even appeasing stance towards the Iranian regime.”

He continued, “The first Trump administration’s maximum pressure campaign, implemented concurrently with the withdrawal from the ill-fated JCPOA, essentially bankrupted the regime. Trump’s continuation of economic warfare against the regime highlights his commitment to U.S. dominance and power projection in the terror-plagued Middle East, short of direct military intervention.”

The JCPOA, or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, was a landmark foreign policy achievement of former President Obama. It aimed to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions in exchange for substantial economic benefits. In 2018, President Trump withdrew from the JCPOA, famously calling it “the worst deal in history.” Trump stated at the time of withdrawal, “At the heart of the Iran deal was a false premise that a murderous regime only sought a peaceful nuclear energy program.”

According to the Trump administration, the JCPOA failed to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and allowed Tehran to fund global terrorism.

Diker stated, “Trump will confront an Iranian regime that continues to spread its terror throughout the region, especially in the Israeli-controlled Judea and Samaria (West Bank), while simultaneously engaging in diplomatic efforts with European and other powers to counter the U.S. initiative to stifle the Iranian regime.”

Digital’s Alexandra Koch contributed to this story.