President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he told Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to “substantially increase” sanctions on Iran.
The president’s announcement to increase sanctions on Iran follows a Saturday attack on Saudi Arabian oil facilities. Trump suggested Monday that Iran was likely to blame for the attack, but also said he’d like to avoid war with the country, The New York Times reported. (RELATED: A Saudi Military Official Says Iranian Weapons Used In Attacks On Global Oil Supply: REPORT)
The attack led to a 50% reduction in oil production, Saudi officials said, according to The Washington Post.
![WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 16: U.S. President Donald Trump (C) leads a cabinet meeting at the White House July 16, 2019 in Washington, DC. Trump and members of his administration addressed a wide variety of subjects, including Iran, opportunity zones, drug prices, HIV/AIDS, immigration and other subjects for more than an hour. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)](https://cdn01.dailycaller.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/GettyImages-1162407250.jpg)
resident Donald Trump (C) leads a cabinet meeting. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“I don’t want war with anybody. I’m somebody that would like not to have war,” Trump said Monday, according to Politico, also warning that the United States is “prepared more than anybody.”
I have just instructed the Secretary of the Treasury to substantially increase Sanctions on the country of Iran!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 18, 2019
“I think I’ll have a stronger message, or maybe no message at all, when we get the final results of what we’re looking at,” he added.
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