Iran is "feeling the pain" from the sweeping sanctions revived by President Trump in August, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, told Fox News exclusively in a wide-ranging interview on Wednesday.
"They feel weak and we are suffocating them to the point that they have to address ballistic missiles; they have to address their support on terrorism," Haley told "Special Report" anchor Bret Baier.
The Trump administration this summer restored major sanctions against Iran in the areas of automobiles, gold and other key metals. The sanctions had been suspended under former President Barack Obama's 2015 nuclear deal, pummelling the value of currency there and threatening to further unravel the Islamic country's already-struggling economy.
Trump pulled the U.S. out of the nuclear deal in May, saying its enforcement and monitoring mechanisms were too lenient and calling for Iran to return to the negotiating table.
Even more severe U.S. sanctions against Iran's banking and energy sectors are slated to go into effect in November, including restrictions on Iran's oil industry that could cut off a crucial source of hard currency.
"Our focus right now is on the Iranian people," Haley said, acknowledging the unrest in the country. "I mean, they have protested, they have spoken out, they have said they want a better life. ... But at the end of the day, we can’t allow them to have any nuclear programs."
Responding to a report that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has approved a gas attack in the Idlib Province, the last remaining rebel stronghold in the country, Haley also issued a pointed warning to Iran and other key players in the Middle East.
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