Trump reversed Iran sanctions pause after objecting to internal decision — WSJ

A brief pause in new US sanctions on Iran was quietly ordered and then swiftly reversed by President Donald Trump, according to an editorial published Friday by The Wall Street Journal.

The Journal reported that White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, working with the new National Security Council, had instructed the Treasury and State Departments to hold off on new sanctions. “The news didn’t go over well with President Trump,” the editorial said, adding that by Tuesday, “the pause had been lifted.”

On Friday, the administration announced a new round of sanctions targeting 10 individuals and 27 entities across Iran, China, Hong Kong, and the UAE for involvement in a shadow banking network said to be laundering billions for the Iranian regime.

“Pressure is back,” the Journal wrote, “but it needs to escalate to push Tehran to agree to a worthwhile nuclear deal.”