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Trump Administration Looks to Break Iran-Russia Ties

Trump Administration Looks to Break Iran-Russia Ties
folder_openUnited States access_time7 years ago
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The Trump administration is exploring ways to break Russia's military and diplomatic alliance with Iran in a bid to both end the Syrian conflict and bolster the fight against Daesh [ISIS/ISIL], said senior administration, European and Arab officials involved in the policy discussions.

Trump Administration Looks to Break Iran-Russia Ties

The emerging strategy seeks to reconcile President Donald Trump's seemingly contradictory vows to improve relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and to aggressively challenge the military presence of Iran in the Middle East, these officials said.

A senior administration official said the White House doesn't have any illusions about Russia or see Putin as a "choir boy," despite further conciliatory statements from Trump about the Russian leader over the weekend. But the official said that the administration doesn't view Russia as the same existential threat that the Soviet Union posed to the US during the Cold War and that Trump was committed to constraining Iran.

Such a strategy doesn't entirely explain the mixed signals Trump and his circle have sent regarding Moscow, which unnerved US allies and caught Republican leaders in Congress off guard.

Trump himself spoke again about wanting to mend relations with Putin in an interview that aired before Sunday's Super Bowl, saying "it's better to get along with Russia than not."

But those involved in the latest policy discussions argue there is a specific focus on trying to drive a wedge between Russia and Iran.

The Kremlin said it aims to mend ties with the US under the Trump administration but in recent months also signaled its intent to continue to build on its cooperation with Iran.

Moscow and Tehran have formed a tight military alliance in Syria in recent years.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team

 

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