Trump Vows Sanctions on Ally Iraq, Toughens Rhetoric on Iran
U.S. president threatens major retaliation against Baghdad.
(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump warned Iran of major U.S. retaliation and threatened heavy sanctions on Iraq if American troops are forced to leave unless the country repays billions in military base construction costs.
Trump, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One late Sunday, said going into the Middle East was the worst decision the U.S. has ever made, and that it had spent billions of dollars building a military base in the country.
“We have a very extraordinarily expensive air base that’s there. It cost billions of dollars to build. Long before my time. We’re not leaving unless they pay us back for it,” Trump said while flying back from Florida. “If they do ask us to leave, if we don’t do it in a very friendly basis, we will charge them sanctions like they’ve never seen before ever. It’ll make Iranian sanctions look somewhat tame.”
Trump’s remarks ratchet up tensions on a day when Iraqi lawmakers voted to pursue the removal of foreign troops from the nation -- the latest fallout from the U.S. killing last week of Qassem Soleimani, an Iranian general.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said the U.S. leader’s comments are “not very helpful at the current time.” Germany is “very concerned” that the withdrawal of international troops could lead to greater instability in Iraq, he said Monday in an interview with Deutschlandfunk radio.
“We have invested a great deal in engagement, not just in military terms but also in aid to help rebuild the country and create infrastructure,” Maas said. “We should be trying to convince Iraq through persuasion rather than with threats.”
Cultural Sites
Trump also doubled down on warnings to Iran, saying he’s still willing to hit cultural sites among 52 targets in the event that Iran retaliates for Soleimani’s death by striking an American or U.S. facility.
“They’re allowed to kill our people. They’re allowed to torture and maim our people. They’re allowed to use roadside bombs and blow up our people. And we’re not allowed to touch their cultural sites? It doesn’t work that way,” Trump said. “If they do anything there will be major retaliation.”
Trump also spoke briefly about North Korea, predicting of leader Kim Jong Un: “I don’t think he’d break his word to me but maybe he will.”
--With assistance from Chris Reiter.
To contact the reporter on this story: Josh Wingrove in Washington at jwingrove4@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alex Wayne at awayne3@bloomberg.net, Steve Geimann, Iain Rogers
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