In 2023, the Biden administration condemned Iran for advancing its nuclear program, supporting Russia in the war against Ukraine, cracking down on protesters, and backing militant proxies across the Middle East. Officials lauded the Iranian people, who faced suppression and intimidation from the…
U.S. Policy
In confirmation hearings in June 2021, Director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) Christine Abizaid warned that the United States faced an “intensifying confrontation with Iran,” which the United States viewed as the foremost state sponsor of terrorism. Iran employed terrorism as a key…
The United States and its allies have faced a problem in countering Iran’s drones since the 2010s, when Tehran increasingly deployed unmanned aircraft to harass adversaries across the Middle East. But Iran’s UAV arsenal became even more of a flashpoint after it exported drones to Russia in August…
On January 6, the United States sanctioned six executives of an Iranian firm that produced drones exported to Russia for use against Ukraine. It also sanctioned the director of an organization that managed Iran’s ballistic missile program. “Iran must cease its support for Russia’s unprovoked war of…
On December 21, the United States sanctioned Iran’s prosecutor general, four military officials and one company for the crackdown on nationwide protests that erupted in September 2022. Iranian authorities “have killed hundreds of peaceful protestors, including dozens of children, and arbitrarily…
In 2022, the United States imposed sanctions on Iran for issues ranging from missile production to oil smuggling and from violence against protesters to drone exports to Russia. It sanctioned dozens of government officials, including members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the…
On December 9, the United States sanctioned 17 Iranian law enforcement, prison, and government officials for the ongoing crackdown. “We reiterate our condemnation of Iran’s brutal acts of violence against peaceful protestors, ongoing denial of human rights and fundamental freedoms, and pervasive…
On December 8, the United States sanctioned five Turkish businessmen, an international network of 26 companies, and a tanker that smuggled oil for Iran’s Qods Force, the external operations arm of the Revolutionary Guards, and Hezbollah, a Lebanese political party and militia backed by Tehran. The…
Iran has become Russia’s “top military backer,” John Kirby of the National Security Council revealed on December 9. Iran’s decision to aid Russia in the war on Ukraine reflected the deepening strategic alliance with Moscow. Iran has provided Russia with hundreds of drones, including the Shahed-136…
On November 23, the United States sanctioned three Iranian security officials for the ongoing crackdown on protesters. “The Iranian regime is reportedly targeting and gunning down its own children, who have taken to the street to demand a better future,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for…