United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday named diplomat Robert C O’Brien the new national security adviser. The appointment was announced a week after Trump fired John Bolton as he “disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions”.
Brien is the fourth national security adviser of the Trump administration. “I am pleased to announce that I will name Robert C. O’Brien, currently serving as very successful Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs at State Department, as our new National Security Advisor,” tweeted the president.
In a tweet, Bolton had disputed the circumstances leading to his removal, saying he had offered to resign on September 9. A Washington Post reporter had claimed that in a text message, Bolton told him: “Let’s be clear, I resigned, having offered to do so last night.”
After the decision to remove Bolton, the White House did not provide details about his sacking. Bolton succeeded HR McMaster in the post. Michael Flynn was the first national security adviser of the Trump administration.
Trump announces new sanctions against Iran
Meanwhile, the US president announced “substantial new sanctions” on Iran. This came days after Washington blamed Tehran for the drone attacks on two major oil plants in Saudi Arabia that disrupted global oil supply.
“I have just instructed the secretary of the treasury to substantially increase sanctions on the country of Iran!” Trump tweeted. However, no details about the new measures are available.
Relations between the two countries have been tense since the United States reimposed sanctions on Iran in November 2018 after pulling out of the 2015 nuclear deal. On Tuesday, Trump said he did not want to meet Iranian President Hassan Rouhani at the United Nations General Assembly next week. However, he did not rule it out.
Trump’s announcement came even as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo prepared to meet Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Earlier, Pompeo had alleged that Tehran was behind almost 100 attacks on Saudi Arabia. The Houthi rebels, who took responsibility for the drone attacks, are backed by Iran in Yemen’s civil war.
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