The Latest: White House steps up Iran outreach to Congress
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on developments as the U.S. and Iran edge toward a flashpoint amid escalation in the Persian Gulf region (all times local):
12:20 p.m.
The White House is stepping up its outreach to Congress as tensions escalate in the Middle East.
Lawmakers will receive a series of classified and unclassified briefings on Iran from Trump administration officials. That’s according to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Iran has said it will break compliance with the international agreement that keeps it from making nuclear weapons. The administration followed that announcement by ordering 1,000 more troops to the Middle East.
McConnell says the risk of a conflict with Iran is real, and he says the administration should work with U.S. allies “to encourage Iran’s leaders to cease their aggression.”
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer acknowledges there are problems with Iran but he criticizes President Donald Trump’s strategy as “erratic” and “opaque.”
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9:35 a.m.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel (AHN’-geh-lah MEHR’-kuhl) says her country is taking “very seriously” the new U.S. information about Iran’s alleged responsibility for attacks last week on two oil tankers near the Persian Gulf.
Merkel says “there’s a high-level of evidence. But that won’t stop me from saying we have to do everything to solve the conflict situation with Iran in a peaceful manner.”
Iran denies the U.S. accusation.
She says Germany is in close contact with the United States and “will do everything to impress on all sides, but especially to make clear to Iran, that this serious situation mustn’t be aggravated.”
Merkel also says Germany wants Iran to abide by the 2015 nuclear accord, adding that “if that isn’t the case that will of course have consequences.”
6:35 a.m.
China’s top diplomat has warned the United States against opening a “Pandora’s box” in the Middle East after a recent flare-up in tension between Washington and Tehran.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi is calling on both countries to avoid escalating the situation. It’s an echo of earlier statements by Chinese officials following last week’s apparent attacks on two oil tankers traveling near the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has denied a U.S. accusation that it was behind the attacks, which hit Norwegian and Japanese ships off Iran’s coast. Each vessel was loaded with petroleum products, and one was set ablaze.
China is the world’s largest buyer of Iranian oil and has maintained its support for the Iran nuclear deal.
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6:25 a.m.
It’s a test of resolve and credibility for the United States and Iran as the two adversaries take steps sure to further inflame tensions in the Mideast and draw them closer to a flashpoint.
Iran says it’s breaking compliance with the international agreement that keeps it from making nuclear weapons. The Trump administration followed that announcement by ordering 1,000 more troops to the Middle East.
Iran soon could start enriching uranium to a step away from weapons-grade levels. That’s a challenge to President Donald Trump’s assurances to allies that the U.S. withdrawal from the deal last year made the world a safer place.
Iran’s president says his country does “not wage war with any nation” and that “the entire Iranian nation is unanimous in confronting” U.S. pressures.
