The administration of US President Donald Trump on Friday imposed sanctions on Iran, which it said were just “initial steps” and said Washington would no longer turn a “blind eye” to Iran’s hostile actions.
The sanctions on 25 individuals and entities were the opening salvo by Trump, who has vowed a more aggressive policy against Tehran, and came two days after the administration had put Iran “on notice” following a ballistic missile test.
“The Trump Administration will no longer tolerate Iran’s provocations that threaten our interests,” US National Security Advisor Michael Flynn said.
“The days of turning a blind eye to Iran’s hostile and belligerent actions toward the United States and the world community are over,” Flynn said in a White House statement.
Suggesting that more concrete action could follow if Iran does not curb its ballistic missile program and continues support in regional proxy conflicts, a senior administration official said the latest sanctions were the initial steps in response to Iran’s “provocative behavior.”
The administration was “undertaking a larger strategic review” of how it responds to Iran.
Those affected under the sanctions cannot access the US financial system or deal with US companies and are subject to secondary sanctions, meaning foreign companies and individuals are prohibited from dealing with them or risk being blacklisted by the US.
The White House said that while the sanctions were a reaction to recent events, they had been under consideration before.
It added that a landmark 2015 deal to curb Iran’s nuclear program was not in the best interest of the US.
White House spokesman Sean Spicer said the missile test did not violate the nuclear agreement.
“It’s not a direct violation ... I think there is no question that it violates the spirit of that,” Spicer said in an interview with MSNBC.
He said the nuclear agreement was a “sweetheart deal” for Iran.
Iran “will take action against a number of American individuals and companies that have played a role in generating and supporting extremist terrorist groups in the region or have helped in the killing and suppression of defenseless people in the region,” the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement published by the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency.
It said the targets of its sanctions will be named later.
FRESH MISSILE TEST
The semi-official Tasnim news agency yesterday reported that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp started military exercises, including the testing of missile and radar systems.
Three different missiles could be test-fired yesterday, it said.
Citing an Iranian foreign ministry statement, Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency said the missile program is “the undeniable and inalienable right of our nation under international law and the UN Charter. Any foreign interference in this regard is a violation of international law.”
The new designations stuck to areas that remain under sanctions even with the 2015 nuclear deal sealed between Iran and world powers in place, such as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iran’s ballistic missile program.
Among those affected by the sanctions were what it said was a Lebanon-based network run by the Revolutionary Guards.
Additional reporting by Bloomberg
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