CAIRO — During a speech given Thursday at Cairo’s American University, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered remarks that some analysts have likened to a mix of evangelism and historical revisionism regarding the U.S.’ historical role in Middle Eastern and Northern African affairs.
Pompeo began his speech by stating:
AFRIN, SYRIA — On Saturday, Syrian news agency SANA reported that six men had been hospitalized after an alleged Turkish chemical weapons attack on a small town near the city of Afrin in Northern Syria. Jiwan Mohammad, the director of the Afrin Hospital, told SANA that the men’s symptoms were indicative of those experienced after contact with chemical weapons, including “difficulty breathing, coughing and burning all over the body.”
In a surprise move, US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin has announced new sanctions against Iran.
The move is not totally shocking, given the Trump administration’s record of bellicosity towards the Islamic republic.
The sanctions target 16 “entities and individuals” for furnishing support to Iran’s military or Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, or for alleged involvement in criminal activities.
Regarding the targets of the sanctions, Mnuchin stated:
