Last week the Trump administration announced new Iran-related sanctions imposed against 18 Iranian entities and individuals. The sanctions are the administration’s response to Iran’s ballistic missile program and destabilizing actions in the region.
The actions of the administration were taken pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13382, which targets proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery by freezing the assets of those proliferators, as well as E.O. 13581, which blocks the property of transnational criminal organizations.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) placed sanctions on individuals and entities for their support of the Iranian military and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and for engaging in international hacking efforts. The U.S. Department of State placed sanctions on entities for their involvement in ballistic missile research and development for the Iranian government.
These sanctions were announced only a day after the Trump administration recertified Iran’s compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The JCPOA is a 2015 nuclear deal that was agreed to by the P5+1 (China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.), the European Union (EU), and Iran, to ensure a peaceful nuclear program in Iran. The JCPOA offers Iran sanctions relief if it continues to curb its nuclear program and follow the timeline of requirements set forth in the JCPOA.
The JCPOA states that its participants anticipate that the “full implementation of this JCPOA will positively contribute to regional and international peace and security.” However, the U.S. believes that the other actions taken by Iran undermine the positive contributions and goals of the JCPOA to bring about peace and security in the Middle East.
These new sanctions mean that Americans are prevented from doing business with these newly sanctioned entities and individuals. It also means that any assets these entities and individuals have in the U.S. will be frozen.
In a press release issued in connection with the announcement of the sanctions, the State Department also called upon Iran to release Baquer Namazi, Siamak Namazi, and Xiyue Wang, all of whom are U.S. citizens detained by Iran.
Despite the announcement of the new sanctions, the U.S. is still committed to complying with its commitments under the JCPOA, and Iran will continue to receive the same sanctions relief it received under former President Obama.
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