Trump: Nukes should be limited to oil-rich regimes that kill American journalists

Trump is a little picky about which inhumane regime he is comfortable with obtaining nuclear weapons. 

The White House announced on Monday new international banking and financial sanctions on Iran after the country shot down a U.S. military drone last week. The Trump administration also claims Iran was behind the attacks on two oil tankers earlier this month. 

The true motivation for the sanctions is at this point unknown, as Trump said Monday the sanctions were scheduled before the U.S. drone was shot down, while Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the specific military leaders behind the drone attack were the targets of the sanctions. 

Iran has said it’s been accruing more nuclear fuel within the past year, following Trump’s withdrawal from a deal that forbade such capabilities.

“Never can Iran have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said during the signing of the executive order Monday. 

Trump doesn’t seem to mind allowing other hostile governments to obtain nuclear technology though, as long as they have something to offer him. 

Earlier this month, it was reported that the Trump administration approved sending nuclear technology and expertise to Saudi Arabia several times after its government ordered the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Trump and company refuse to even acknowledge that Khashoggi was murdered by the oil-rich country, never mind retaliate. 

Even the GOP-controlled Senate voted last week to stop the arms sale to Saudi Arabia, but Trump has continued to praise the country since Khashoggi’s death for being “very responsive to my requests to keeping oil prices at reasonable levels.”

The office of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday that the journalist’s murder was not brought up in his recent discussion with the Saudi government. Trump also said Friday in an NBC interview that the murder was already “heavily investigated” enough. 

Apparently, the Trump administration thinks nuclear knowledge should be limited to oil-rich regimes that kill American journalists. 

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.