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The US ambbadador to Germany has called on Berlin to block an Iranian bid to remove large sums of money from bank accounts in the country to offset the effect of new financial sanctions imposed after Washington withdrawal
of a 2015 nuclear agreement.
Richard Grenell, a long-time critic of the agreement, told Bild daily that the US government was extremely concerned about Tehran's plans to transfer hundreds of million euros in cash to Iran.
Trump, Merkel, Rouhani (Credit: Reuters, MCT, AFP)
"We encourage the highest levels of government German to intervene and stop the plan, "said Grenell to daily Bild.
Grenell has taken a more frank role than his predecessor since arriving in Berlin in May, criticizing what some German politicians regard as an interference in German politics.
A spokeswoman for the German Finance Ministry said Monday that the German authorities are examining the Iranian demand. The department did not have immediate feedback on Grenell's comments.
Richard Grenell (Photo: Getty Images)
Bild reported Monday that the German authorities were considering a request for withdrawal from Iran. 300 million euros (350 million dollars) from bank accounts held in Germany and to transfer money to Iran.
In another development on Iran, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday that America and its Arab Gulf allies want to show Iran that its actions have "a really high cost", intensifying his warnings
after Tehran threatened
to disrupt the oil supply of the Middle East.
Pompeo's comments came about during a short trip to the United Arab Emirates, a devoted ally of the United States that hosts some 5,000 US forces on a crucial airbase and the most important foreign stopover busy US Navy.
He stopped offering details during an interview with Sky News Arabia, an Arab satellite news channel owned half by the ruling family member. Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
However, his message has undoubtedly reached receptive ears. The UAE has long suspected Iran and its nuclear deal with the world powers.
US Sec. State Mike Pompeo (Photo: EPA)
"The one we are focusing most on today is … we deny Iran the financial ability to continue this bad behavior, "said Pompeo. "This is therefore a wide range of sanctions aimed not at the Iranian people, but rather at the unique mission of convincing the Iranian regime that its malign behavior is unacceptable and very expensive."
Pompeo made a point of mentioning the recent threats by Iranian President Hbadan Rouhani over the Strait of Ormuz, through which a third of the oil pbades. While he was in Europe last week, Rouhani said any disruption of Iran's oil exports would disrupt the region's exports.
Iran "should know that America is engaged
"Said Pompeo," this is the commitment we have made for decades. We continue under this commitment. "
In Tehran, the vice-speaker of the Iranian parliament, Ali Motahari, greeted Rouhani for uttering this threat.
Strait of Ormuz
"The Americans are not ready for a new war in the Persian Gulf.The remark of the president was a good threat that will have positive impacts and be a deterrent against the reduction of Iran's oil exports, "Motahari said, according to a report posted on the parliament's website.
World oil prices rose on the expectation that the US is pushing its allies to stop importing Iranian crude oil, further strengthening global energy supply. While allies such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait are willing to increase their own production if needed, additional production may not be enough to meet demand.
Already, regular gasoline prices in the United States are $ 2.86 per gallon, up from $ 2.26 the year before, according to AAA. Trump himself tweeted that oil providers must do more to lower prices before the mid-term elections this fall.
US benchmark crude traded close to $ 75 a barrel on Tuesday, while Brent crude traded close to $ 80.
Iranians are hardest hit (Photo: AP)
State Department officials acknowledged that some allies import Iranian oil, Pompeo seemed to hit a harder line on Tuesday. He warned that such imports would be largely "a punishable activity and we will apply these sanctions".
"We will consider (derogations) but make no mistake: we are determined to convince the Iranian leaders that this evil behavior will not be rewarded and that the economic situation in the country will not be allowed to be rectified. that they become a more normal nation, "he said.
Among the major importers of Iranian oil are China, India, Turkey and South Korea.
In a separate interview with Abu Dhabi's English newspaper The National, also owned by Sheikh Mansour, Pompeo targeted Iranian general Qbadem Soleimani. Solemani leads the revolutionary guard of the paramilitary extremist forces of the Quds Force of Iran.
"Qbadem Soleimani causes problems all over Iraq and Syria and we have to increase the cost for him for his organization and for him personally," said Pompeo, without specifying.
Pompeo met with the mighty Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Foreign Minister Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan on his short trip to the United Arab Emirates. He also stopped at the US Embbady in Abu Dhabi.
Pompeo, who has already visited Afghanistan, Japan, North Korea and Vietnam during his trip, left the UAE to head for a NATO summit in Brussels which will be attended by Trump.
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