On March 26, Iran imposed sanctions on 15 U.S. companies for alleged human rights violations and support for Israel. The retaliatory move came two days after the United States sanctioned 11 entities and individuals from China, North Korea or the United Arab Emirates for transferring sensitive items to Iran’s ballistic missile program. The following are excerpts from the Foreign Ministry’s statement with the list of U.S. companies.
On March 21, the United States imposed sanctions on 11 entities and individuals for “transfers of sensitive items to Iran’s ballistic missile program.” Washington considers Tehran’s missile program a threat to regional security. Since Iran tested a medium-range ballistic missile in January 2017, the U.S.
On March 22, President Donald Trump issued a statement marking Nowruz, the Persian New Year. "On behalf of the American people, I wish you freedom, dignity, and wealth," he said in remarks directed to the Iranian people. On March 20, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had also issued a Nowruz message. It mentioned more than a dozen countries where the holiday is observed, including Iran, but did not include a special message to the Iranian people. The full text of Trump and Tillerson’s statements are below.
On March 17, the U.S. State Department sanctioned two Bahrainis with ties to Iran for supporting terrorism. One was affiliated with the al Ashtar Brigades, which has received funding and support from the Iranian government and carried out attacks in Bahrain. Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi, however, dismissed the allegations as political.
The following are summaries of reports and updates released by the International Atomic Energy Agency on Iran’s nuclear program since January 2016, when the nuclear deal went into its implementation phase.
On March 6, President Donald Trump issued a new executive order banning people from six Muslim-majority countries, including Iran, from entering the United States for 90 days. The move comes about a month after a panel of federal judges blocked enforcement of his initial executive order. The original January order barred citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries — Iran, Iraq, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Libya, and Yemen — from entering the United States for 90 days. The new ban will go into effect on March 16 and does not include Iraq on the list of countries of concern.
On March 3, the U.S. State Department released its annual human rights report. The following is the executive summary of the Iran country report, which covers 2016.
On February 27, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) released its annual report on Iran’s economy.
On February 26, Iran’s ex-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad published a lengthy open letter to President Donald Trump encouraging him to end U.S. interventions in the Middle East.
On February 17, Iran’s national wrestling team beat the U.S. team 5-3 to take the gold in the World Cup freestyle championship. The match was held in Kermanshah, Iran. Just weeks before the competition, the Americans thought they might not be able to attend. The Islamic Republic vowed reciprocation after President Donald Trump issued a visa ban for citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries, including Iran. But after the courts put a pause on the controversial executive order, Iran granted visas to the wrestlers.
