BEIJING, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. administration of President Donald Trump seemed to have taken Iran bashing as a symbol of its diplomatic toughness. Judging as a whole the measures and statements Trump released in the latest days, the world is highly likely to see an era of aggressiveness by the new U.S. top leader on foreign policies.
RADICAL BREAK WITH OBAMA'S IRAN STRATEGY
Iran seemed to have born the brunt of Trump's increasingly strident tone both in his twitter statements and national policies. The real estate mogul had promised in his campaign a radical break with the foreign policy of his predecessor Barack Obama.
In one of the most startling shifts, Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 27 to temporarily ban people from Iran and other six countries from entering the United States, claiming these nations are "compromised by terrorism."
Under Trump's order, up to 60,000 visas have been revoked, said the U.S. State Department earlier Friday.
Moreover, Washington Wednesday put Tehran "on notice" over the latter's missile launch last week and an attack against a Saudi Arabian vessel by Iran-supported Houthi militants in Yemen. Michael Flynn, Trump's national security advisor, accused the firing of defying UN Security Council Resolution 2231.
Two days later, the U.S. Treasury Department unveiled new sanctions, the first of Trump's presidency, against a group of Iranian entities, individuals and companies involved in the "destabilizing" ballistic missile program.
Hours after the sanctions were announced, hardline Pentagon chief James Mattis said Iran was "the single biggest state sponsor of terrorism in the world."
Meanwhile, Trump also took barbs at the Islamic Republic in a trove of his twitter posts.
"Iran is playing with fire -- they don't appreciate how 'kind' President Obama was to them. Not me!" the U.S. president said.
Read the full story at Xinhua