Key Points
Maximum economic pressure through Treasury Department sanctions
Withdrawal from Iran nuclear deal reinstates strict restrictions
Bipartisan support for maintaining pressure on Iran's nuclear threat
Trump said he was "torn" on signing the order and admitted he was "unhappy to do it," noting that the executive order was very tough on Iran.
"Hopefully, we're not going to have to use it very much," Trump told reporters Tuesday (US Local Time), as reported by Fox News.
The order directs the Treasury Department to execute "maximum economic pressure" upon Iran through a series of sanctions targeting the country's oil exports.
American lawmakers are also interested in exerting more pressure on Iran. It referred to Senators Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and John Fetterman, D-Penn., along with lawmakers in the House, who introduced a resolution on Thursday that affirms that all options should remain on the table in dealing with Iran's nuclear threat, Fox News reported.
The reinstatement of strict sanctions on Iran follows Trump's withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in May 2018. The 2015 agreement, brokered under the Obama administration, had lifted sanctions on Iran in exchange for limits on Iran's nuclear program.
In January, Trump hinted at the possibility of securing a nuclear deal with Iran, when asked if he backed Israel striking Iran's nuclear facilities.
Other executive orders which Donald Trump signed on Tuesday included pulling the US out of the United Nations Human Rights Council and cutting funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), as reported by Fox News.
