U.S. Policy
On November 5, the U.S. Treasury reimposed sanctions on Iran that had been lifted or waived in January 2016 under the nuclear deal. The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned more than 700 individuals, entities, aircraft, and vessels — its largest ever single-day action targeting the Iranian…
On October 30, Secretary of Defense James Mattis criticized Iran’s role in fueling the conflict in Yemen. He also called for a ceasefire in Yemen within 30 days. “Yemen has had more problems than any people deserve to carry, and we're calling on all the parties, specifically the Houthis and the…
In two interviews, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo emphasized that U.S. sanctions are aimed at changing the Iranian government’s behavior. “Our aim is not to harm the Iranian people, but to change the behavior, the malign activity of this regime,” he told Laura Ingraham on October 31. On November 5…
On October 25, President Trump commemorated the 35th anniversary of the bombing on the Marine Barracks in Beirut, Lebanon. The country had been embroiled in a civil war since 1975. In 1982, President Reagan dispatched U.S. troops to Lebanon on a peace-keeping mission. On October 23, 1983, a truck…
On October 23, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned nine individuals associated with the Taliban, including Iranian supporters. The United States acted in partnership with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, the other member states of the Terrorist Financing Targeting…
On October 16, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned a network of 20 businesses for providing financial support to the Basij Resistance Force, a paramilitary under the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). “The Bonyad Taavon Basij network is an example of how the IRGC and Iranian military forces have…
On October 11, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network of the U.S. Treasury issued a detailed advisory on Iran’s attempts to exploit the U.S. financial system. It was intended to help financial institutions to detect illicit transactions tied to the Islamic Republic and avoid exposure to U.S.…
On October 4, President Donald Trump vowed to “roll back Iran’s global terrorist network” in his announcement of a new counterterrorism strategy. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also cited Iran as a key threat. “Terrorist groups and networks such as al-Qa`ida, ISIS, and Iranian-supported terrorists…
On September 25, President Donald Trump blasted Iran’s leaders for corruption, supporting terror, and fomenting instability in the Middle East. "Iran’s leaders sow chaos, death and destruction," he said in his address to the U.N. General Assembly. "Iran’s leaders plunder the nation’s resources to…
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo highlighted Iranian sponsorship of terror and proliferation risks posed by Tehran in the runup to opening of the U.N. General Assembly. “We are determined to stop that behavior and to change the way the Iranian regime inflicts horrors all around the world,” he told…