US to Increase Iran Sanctions, Trump Says

President Donald Trump said the U.S. will increase sanctions on Iran after his administration suggested Iran was behind an attack on Saudi Arabia's oil facilities.

“I have just instructed the Secretary of the Treasury to substantially increase Sanctions on the country of Iran!” Trump tweeted Sept. 18.

Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif criticized the announcement, saying U.S. sanctions are hurting Iranians. “It’s admission that US is DELIBERATELY targeting ordinary citizens: #EconomicTerrorism, illegal & inhuman,” Zarif tweeted.

Trump’s announcement came as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters that the attack, which hit oil fields and a plant in Saudi Arabia Sept. 14, was an “Iranian attack,” according to an NBC report. Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen originally claimed responsibility for the attack.