US Imposes New Sanctions on Iran’s Senior Regime Officials, Metal Industry

Photo Credit: US State Department / public domain

The Trump Administration has announced the details of new sanctions to be imposed on Iran in response to the ballistic missile attack on two American military bases in Iraq last week.

President Donald Trump briefly referred to the sanctions in a news briefing with reporters following that attack and Iran’s downing of a Ukraine International Airlines’ passenger plane near Tehran a few hours later.

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The sanctions imposed Friday coincide with the president’s executive order expanding authorities to target additional sources of revenue used by the Iranian regime.

.@StateDeptSPOX: People are asking us what our strategy is following the Iranian regime’s ballistic missile attack on the United States. This is our strategy — diplomatic isolation, economic pressure, and military deterrence. pic.twitter.com/AVGQ9ZM1yh

— Department of State (@StateDept) January 11, 2020

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters that the US hopes the sanctions will encourage Iran to “behavior simply like a normal nation.” A spokesperson for the State Department said following last week’s ballistic missile attack on the US military bases the American strategy on Iran is: “diplomatic isolation, economic pressure, and military deterrence.”

.@StateDeptSPOX: People are asking us what our strategy is following the Iranian regime’s ballistic missile attack on the United States. This is our strategy — diplomatic isolation, economic pressure, and military deterrence. pic.twitter.com/AVGQ9ZM1yh

— Department of State (@StateDept) January 11, 2020

To that end, action was taken against eight senior Iranian officials in the regime believed to have been involved in the missile attack against American forces in Iraq in addition to the largest manufacturers of steel, aluminum, copper and iron in the country.

Individuals who were sanctioned on Friday included Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council; Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, the Deputy Chief of Staff of Iranian armed forces; and Gholamreza Soleimani, the head of the Basij militia of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), among others, plus 17 Iranian metals producers and mining companies; a network of three China- and Seychelles-based entities; and a vessel involved in the purchase, sale, and transfer of Iranian metals products, as well as in the provision of critical metals production components to Iranian metal producers.

“The United States is targeting senior Iranian officials for their involvement and complicity in Tuesday’s ballistic missile strikes,” said Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin.

“We are also designating Iran’s largest metals manufacturers, and imposing sanctions on new sectors of the Iranian economy including construction, manufacturing, and mining. These sanctions will continue until the regime stops the funding of global terrorism and commits to never having nuclear weapons.”

For complete information about the individuals and companies that are being sanctioned, click here.