Iran

US President-elect Donald Trump has issued an apparent warning to Hamas, threatening "all hell to pay" if hostages held in Gaza are not released by the time he returns to the White House on 20 January. As the press reports on this statement, many feel they are missing the point. They assume that Trump means to go after Hama using Israeli forces and they would be partly right but there is more. Trump will go after Iran. He will start with bringing back the sanctions he put on Iran during his last term and if he doesn't get the hostages he will place an embargo on Iranian oil shipments. The sanctions under Trump reduced Iranian oil exports to $16 billion in 2020 but Biden removed the sanctions and their exports increased to $48 per year. Oil represents about one-forth of Iran's GDP.