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Rex Tillerson Accuses Tehran Of 'Alarming Provocations'

The U.S secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, has accused Iran of “alarming ongoing provocations” to destabilize countries in the Middle East and said the Trump administration has launched a review of its policy towards Tehran.

Reuters reported Tillerson as saying the review would not only look at Tehran’s compliance with a 2015 nuclear deal but also its behavior in the region which he said undermined U.S interests in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon.

President Donald Trump ordered the review to evaluate whether suspension of sanctions related to the nuclear deal was “vital to the national security interests of the United States”, Tillerson said.

Reuters stated that in a letter to U.S House of Representatives speaker Paul Ryan, released late on Tuesday, Tillerson declared that Iran was meeting its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal but there were concerns about Tehran’s role as a state sponsor of terrorism.

Speaking to reporters, Tillerson said: "The Trump administration is currently conducting across the entire government a review of our Iran policy. Today I'd like to address Iran's alarming and ongoing provocations that export terror and violence, destabilizing more than one country at a time.

“Iran is the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism and is responsible for intensifying multiple conflicts and undermining multiple U.S interest in countries such as Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon and continuing to support attacks against Israel.

“An unchecked Iran has the potential to travel the same path as North Korea and take the world along with it. The United States is keen to avoid a second piece of evidence that strategic patience is a failed approach. A comprehensive Iran policy requires that we address all of the threats posed by Iran and it is clear there are many."

Tillerson went on to say that "whether it be assassination attempts, support of weapons of mass destruction, deploying destabilizing militias, Iran spends its treasure and time disrupting peace.”

“That is why we have to look at Iran in a very comprehensive way in terms of the threat it poses in all areas of the region and the world,” he added.

“This deal represents the same failed approach of the past that brought us to the current imminent threat we face from North Korea,” Tillerson said.

He said the Trump administration had no intention of passing the buck to a future administration on Iran.

“The evidence is clear, Iran's proactive actions threaten the United States, the region and the world. As indicated at the beginning, the Trump administration is currently conducting a comprehensive review of our Iran policy, Once we've finalized conclusions we will meet the challenges Iran poses with clarity and conviction," he said.

Rex Tillerson Accuses Tehran Of 'Alarming Provocations'

Trump has ordered the review to evaluate whether suspension of sanctions related to the nuclear deal was vital to the U.S’s national security interests

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The U.S secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, has accused Iran of “alarming ongoing provocations” to destabilize countries in the Middle East and said the Trump administration has launched a review of its policy towards Tehran.

Reuters reported Tillerson as saying the review would not only look at Tehran’s compliance with a 2015 nuclear deal but also its behavior in the region which he said undermined U.S interests in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon.

President Donald Trump ordered the review to evaluate whether suspension of sanctions related to the nuclear deal was “vital to the national security interests of the United States”, Tillerson said.

Reuters stated that in a letter to U.S House of Representatives speaker Paul Ryan, released late on Tuesday, Tillerson declared that Iran was meeting its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal but there were concerns about Tehran’s role as a state sponsor of terrorism.

Speaking to reporters, Tillerson said: "The Trump administration is currently conducting across the entire government a review of our Iran policy. Today I'd like to address Iran's alarming and ongoing provocations that export terror and violence, destabilizing more than one country at a time.

“Iran is the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism and is responsible for intensifying multiple conflicts and undermining multiple U.S interest in countries such as Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon and continuing to support attacks against Israel.

“An unchecked Iran has the potential to travel the same path as North Korea and take the world along with it. The United States is keen to avoid a second piece of evidence that strategic patience is a failed approach. A comprehensive Iran policy requires that we address all of the threats posed by Iran and it is clear there are many."

Tillerson went on to say that "whether it be assassination attempts, support of weapons of mass destruction, deploying destabilizing militias, Iran spends its treasure and time disrupting peace.”

“That is why we have to look at Iran in a very comprehensive way in terms of the threat it poses in all areas of the region and the world,” he added.

“This deal represents the same failed approach of the past that brought us to the current imminent threat we face from North Korea,” Tillerson said.

He said the Trump administration had no intention of passing the buck to a future administration on Iran.

“The evidence is clear, Iran's proactive actions threaten the United States, the region and the world. As indicated at the beginning, the Trump administration is currently conducting a comprehensive review of our Iran policy, Once we've finalized conclusions we will meet the challenges Iran poses with clarity and conviction," he said.

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