Trump annoys US allies and enemies with farewell shots from foreign policy

President Donald Trump’s government is entering its last week of office amid a flurry of foreign policy activities, while the president faces possible impeachment and widespread criticism at home amid chaotic insurrection scenes in the nation’s capital.

This week, the government designated Cuba as a Terrorism Sponsoring State and the Yemeni militant organization Houthi as a terrorist. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also suspended official US contacts with Taiwanese officials this weekend, and on Tuesday accused Iran of becoming a new “base” for the terrorist group Al-Qaeda.

The cascade of events has angered American allies and enemies, who are awaiting Trump’s departure and are preparing for a new government led by President-elect Joe Biden. But Trump’s activities since his election defeat appear to be destroying Biden’s efforts abroad.

An unidentified US employee speaking to Foreign policy described the actions as “fire-selling diplomacy”.

Sunday’s announcement listing the Iran-backed Houthi movement – officially called Ansar Allah – as a terrorist group has raised concern at home and abroad about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Yemen, where after 10 years of war more than 10 million people are on the verge of famine, according to the United Nations.

A European Union statement said the decision to blacklist Houthis “could hamper UN-led efforts to reach a comprehensive solution to the conflict in Yemen”.

The statement said the US measure “will complicate the necessary diplomatic engagement with Ansar Allah and the work of the international community on political, humanitarian and development issues”.

The humanitarian situation is particularly pressing, the statement said. “The designation is likely to have detrimental effects on the delivery of humanitarian aid financed by the international community and will further aggravate the economic crisis resulting from more than five years of conflict.”

International aid groups have also expressed their dismay. The Norwegian Refugee Council said the decision “will undermine the ability of aid agencies to respond, and without additional safeguards and broader exemptions for the commercial sector, Yemen’s faltering economy will take a devastating blow”.

Cuba was then added to the list of Sponsors of Terrorism on Monday, where it joins Syria, Iran and North Korea. The Trump administration has reversed ties with Cuba and undid the bilateral meltdown under President Barack Obama, much to the consternation of liberals in the U.S. and allies in the EU, who signed a historic agreement with Cuba in 2017.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez called the decision “political opportunism” that would be “recognized by those who are honestly concerned about the scourge of terrorism and its victims”.

Democratic Representative Gregory Meeks, chairman of the House’s Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement that he was “outraged” by the designation, particularly following the insurrection and takeover of the Capitol in Washington, DC last week.

“It is essential that the State Sponsor of Terrorism list is used judiciously to maintain its seriousness and integrity and that a country is never added to the list unless it meets legal standards,” said Meeks. “I urge President-elect Biden to add the reversal of the current failure of foreign policy to his long list of ‘things to do’ when he takes office.”

Pompeo then told reporters on Wednesday that Iran had become the new “base” of the al-Qaeda group, claiming that the terrorist organization is inserted in Tehran and authorized to operate there by the regime. The allegations were dismissed as “warmongering lies” by Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif.

Pompeo confirmed that al-Qaeda commander Abu Muhammad al-Masri was killed in Tehran in August – allegedly by Israeli operatives – where he received residence and protection from the Iranian regime.

But Pompeo offered no significant new evidence that al-Qaeda has transferred key operations to Iran, even though some of its members live there. The group still has a significant presence in the Syrian province of Idlib, in Yemen, and in the Sahel region, in North Africa, all regions where it continues to hold territories and launch armed operations. The same is not true of Iran.

Pompeo’s claims were met with skepticism and – like expanded sanctions against Iranian targets and military stance in the Persian Gulf – seemed destined, at least in part, to undermine Biden’s expected efforts to reconnect with Tehran.

Among those who rejected the accusations was Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Zamir Kabulov, who told Sputnik that the allegations were “absolutely unfounded and irrational”. Asked whether he had seen new evidence, Kabulov replied: “There is absolutely no information.”

Russia is among the signatories to the nuclear agreement of the Global Joint Action Plan with Iran, from which Trump withdrew in 2018. Along with other signatories China, France, Germany and the United Kingdom, Russia has consistently advocated the return of Iran and United States compliance with JCPOA.

Russia, China and European parties have repeatedly criticized Trump and his aides for their “maximum pressure” strategy, which aims to collapse the Iranian economy and isolate the regime to force negotiations for a new, more restrictive nuclear deal.

The Trump administration has failed to garner support from the allies and the UN for new sanctions on Iran related to the breach of the JCPOA and for the extension of an arms embargo on Tehran. The Iranian regime celebrated the failure of the U.S. as an American defeat and proof of the isolation of the Trump administration on the world stage.

On Saturday, the State Department infuriated Beijing by lifting restrictions on official contacts between American and Taiwanese officials; part of the US strategy to avoid provoking China while maintaining contact with Taipei.

China considers Taiwan to be a rebel province and is committed to placing it under the control of the Chinese Communist Party, by force if necessary. The United States has long supported Taiwan with arms sales and military detachments, but does not officially recognize the democratic island.

In a statement, Pompeo said the State Department had long “created complex internal restrictions to regulate the interactions of our diplomats, service members and other officials with their Taiwanese colleagues”.

“The United States government has taken these actions unilaterally, in an attempt to appease the Communist regime in Beijing,” he added. “No more.”

Chinese state media quickly accused Pompeo of “trying to maliciously inflict a lasting scar on China-US ties”. A writer for the official Xinhua news agency said on Sunday that Pompeo “is only interested in causing unjustified confrontations and has no interest in world peace”.