U.S. Policy
On August 14, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey held a joint press conference in Washington. They addressed Iran’s role in supporting Syrian President Bashar Assad. The following is a relevant excerpt. Q: (Inaudible) Mr. Secretary, on…
On August 12, 2012, the United States offered aid to Iran after two earthquakes reportedly hit almost 200 villages near the northwest city of Tabriz. The early official Iranian reports cited more than 300 dead, 3,000 injured and some 16,000 left homeless. The United States has previously provided…
On August 10, the United States “imposed sanctions on the Syrian state-run oil company Sytrol under the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA), as amended by the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act (CISADA), for conducting business with Iran’s energy sector.” State Department Deputy…
On August 1, Congress voted to impose new sanctions on Iran that target companies aiding Tehran’s energy sector. The Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Human Rights Act of 2012 differs from President Obama’s July 31 executive order by targeting companies conducting business with Iran’s national…
On August 1, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta warned that “all options” are on the table for preventing a nuclear-armed Iran, including “military options.” At a joint press conference with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Panetta admitted that although sanctions are having a “biting” impact,…
On July 31, the Obama administration provided a briefing on the new U.S. sanctions on Iran. In this conference call, three government officials discussed President Obama’s new sanctions and the impact of existing sanctions on Iran’s government and economy. The following are excerpts from the…
On July 31, President Obama issued the following statement on new sanctions on Iranian oil and foreign financial institutions that facilitate transactions for Iranian banks. Today, the United States is announcing two significant steps that strengthen our efforts to pressure and isolate the Iranian…
The State Department’s annual International Religious Freedom report focused particular attention on Iran’s Baha’is, the country’s largest religious minority at between 300,000 and 350,000. In releasing the report for 2011, Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, Suzan Johnson…
On July 30, 2012, the U.S. Department of State released its annual International Religious Freedom Report, which highlighted serious human rights violations in Iran. The new report outlines persecution of religious minorities in the Islamic Republic.At a briefing on the 2011 report, Ambassador-at-…
On July 18, the State Department expressed concern about the deteriorating condition of political prisoners in Iran. Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland issued the following statement. We are concerned by recent reports that Kurdish activist Mohammed Seddigh Kaboudvand and human rights defender Nargess…