Trump said on the 5th (local time) that he would respond to Iran with "a lock" but did not specify what that meant. It appears that the Trump administration intends to put more economic pressure on Iran rather than taking military action. In a tweet on the 5th, President Trump said, "The United States will respond to the attack by the Quds Force and other Iranian forces on Saudi Aramco facilities with a 'lock'," adding, "We are waiting for identification from Saudi Arabia." On the 14th of last month, there was an attack on Saudi Aramco's Abqaiq oil processing facility and the Khurais oil field in eastern Saudi Arabia. The US and Saudi Arabia have accused Iran of being behind the attack. At a press conference on the 4th, President Trump said, "The United States is prepared to defend our interests and our allies, but we will seek a peaceful solution." On the 3rd, the US Treasury Department announced that it had imposed sanctions on the Central Bank of Iran and other Iranian financial institutions. In a speech at the United Nations General Assembly on the 25th of last month, President Trump urged Iran to come to the negotiating table, saying, "The Iranian regime can either choose a path of meaningful diplomacy or more sanctions."
We haven't written up this one. Hankyoreh has the full story — the link below goes straight to it.
