US to continue Iran maximum pressure campaign, but try to avoid military action

WASHINGTON DC (Kurdistan 24) – After a sharp escalation of tensions between Washington and Tehran earlier this month, with the Jan. 3 US assassination of Quds Force leader Qasim Soleimani, followed five days later by an Iranian ballistic missile attack on Iraqi bases where US troops were stationed, the Trump administration plans to maintain economic and political pressure on Iran, but without escalation into major military clashes, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday. Indeed, US President Donald Trump signaled the US approach already on Jan. 8, when he gave a televised address explaining his response to the Iranian attacks—more economic sanctions, rather than a military...