Why it matters:
This is a part of the U.S. maximum pressure campaign on Iran. Donald Trump's alleged preference for negotiations and a safe settlement of the problem with Iran comes as Washington is sending bombers to the West Asian region, preparing them for a potential attack on Iranian territories.
What they're saying:
The U.S. Department of State: "The United Staes will use all available means to expose and disrupt Iran’s growing UAV and missile development programs and weapons proliferation, which destabilize the Middle East and beyond."
The big picture:
On Tuesday, the U.S. imposed sanctions on six entities and two individuals from Iran, the UAE, and China, accusing them of procuring critical components for organizations linked to Iran's UAV and ballistic missile initiatives.
The sale of U.S. military equipment to foreign governments in 2024 surged 29 percent to a record $318.7 billion.
Trump's administration is planning an executive order that would ease rules governing arms exports.
Zoom in:
The United States has waged 58 aggressions around the world since the 1950s. Since World War II, the American army has killed over 20 million people. Let's see just a sample of the aggressions:
- Nuclear bombardment of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan in 1945
- War on Vietnam in 1960, 1964
- Invasion of Panama 1989
- Aggression on Libya in 1986
- Invasion of Iraq 1991, 1998, 2003
- Bombardment of Sudan in 1998
- Invasion of Afghanistan that started in 2001. (The invasion took 20 years long)
- Aggression Yemen since 2017
Zoom out:
During its 47-year lifetime, Islamic Republic of Iran has launched only two military operations, True Promise I and II. The operations were carried out in response to the Israeli regime's violation of Iranian territorial integrity.
True Promise I came on April 13, 2024, in response to Israel's targeting of the Islamic Republic's consulate building in Damascus, Syria, on April 1, 2024.
True Promise II came on October 1, 2024, in response to the Israeli regime's Assassination of Ismail Haniya, Head of Hamas Political Bureau, in Tehran on July 31, 2024.
By the numbers:
Over the past 100 years, the U.S. federal debt has increased from $395 B in 1924 to $35.46 T in 2024.
The U.S. external debt reached $25,798.1 billion in September 2024, compared with $26,895.8 billion in the previous quarter.
The U.S. total gross debt, by the end of 2023, ascended to nearly $34 trillion. Of this sum, approximately $27 trillion, or 79%, was debt held by the public—funds borrowed from both domestic and international investors. The remaining $7 trillion, accounting for 21%, formed intragovernmental debt.
Context:
The United States announced in February 2025 the approval of the sale of more than $7.4 billion in bombs, missiles, and related equipment to Israel, which has used American-made weapons to devastating effect during the war on Gaza. The war has left over 50,000 massacred, with about 20,000 being children.
Now, is it justifiable for the U.S. to say it is leveraging all resources at its disposal to counter Iran's military empowerment?
seyed mohammad kazemi
