President Trump on Monday took aim at former Secretary of State John Kerry after his administration announced it would crack down on Iran’s oil exports.
The president suggested that Kerry, who has met with Iranian leaders over the Obama-era nuclear deal that Trump scrapped, broke an obscure law banning private citizens from negotiating with foreign governments without permission from the U.S.
“Iran is being given VERY BAD advice by @JohnKerry and people who helped him lead the U.S. into the very bad Iran Nuclear Deal. Big violation of Logan Act?” Trump tweeted.
{mosads}The Trump administration earlier Monday escalated its efforts to pressure Tehran by threatening to impose sanctions on U.S. allies who purchase oil from Iran.
The president and his allies have repeatedly criticized Kerry for his talks with Iranian diplomats, which they say undermine their policy of isolating Tehran.
Kerry, who was a key architect of the Iran deal under President Obama, is a frequent critic of Trump’s foreign policy and has accused him of pursuing regime change in Iran.
Violating the Logan Act, which became law in 1799, is a felony. But only two people have been charged with violating it, the last in 1852, and no one has ever been convicted.
Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn faced accusations he broke the law by discussing sanctions with the Russian ambassador to the U.S. before Trump’s 2017 inauguration. Flynn never faced charges he broke the Logan Act, but he did plead guilty to lying to federal investigators about the talks.