U.S. Policy
On June 27, the U.S. Treasury issued updated guidance on Iran sanctions related to the U.S. withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) revoked two general licenses, including the one that had allowed the export of commercial passenger aircraft and related…
For the eighth consecutive year, the State Department reported that Iran’s government “does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so.” The Islamic Republic was rated a tier three country, the lowest ranking issued in the…
On June 26, a senior State Department official said the United States was asking countries to cut their oil imports from Iran to “zero” by November 4. “I’ve been in Europe and Asia garnering support for our Iran strategy,” the official said. “We’re going to isolate streams of Iranian funding and…
On June 11, Assistant Secretary for International Security and Nonproliferation Dr. Christopher Ashley Ford emphasized U.S. willingness to “negotiate a new and better deal” on Iran’s nuclear program. “Clearly, what is needed is a solution that restricts Iran’s capabilities in such a way that…
On June 7, President Donald Trump said Iran “is a different place” than it was two months ago. “And we'll see what happens. And maybe, ultimately, something will happen with Iran.” He made the cryptic comment amid remarks largely about North Korea before a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister…
On June 5, Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Sigal Mandelker described how Iran uses “deceptive tactics including front and shell companies to exploit markets in numerous countries to fund its nefarious activities.” She also cited numerous cases in which the Central Bank of…
On May 30, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned three Iranian entities and six individuals for committing human rights abuses and censorship activities on behalf of Iran's government. “Iran not only exports terrorism and instability across the world, it routinely violates the rights of its own…
Iran’s government continued to imprison, harass, intimidate, and discriminate against people based on religious beliefs in 2017, according to an annual State Department report on religious freedom. Some 90 percent of Iran’s population is Shiite. Religious minorities, such as Sunni Muslims and Sufis…
On May 22, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned five Iranians for providing ballistic missile-related technical expertise or transferring weapons to the Houthis, a Zaydi Shiite movement that has been fighting Yemen’s Sunni-majority government since 2004. The five individuals were associated with…
On May 21, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo outlined the Trump administration’s new strategy for dealing with Iran following the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear deal. He warned Iran that the United States will apply military and economic pressure, including the “strongest sanctions in history,”…