White House Slaps Iran With New Sanctions — After Doubling Down On Nuclear Deal
Iran missiles Image by Getty Images
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Hours after recertifying the Iran nuclear deal President Donald Trump decried as a candidate, his administration slapped new sanctions on the country in a bid to toughen the enforcement of Iran sanctions.
“The United States remains deeply concerned about Iran’s malign activities across the Middle East which undermine regional stability, security and prosperity,” Heather Nauert, the State Department spokeswoman, said in a statement Tuesday.
The statement targeted 18 entities and individuals “supporting Iran’s ballistic missile program and for supporting Iran’s military procurement or Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as well as an Iran-based transnational criminal organization and associated persons.” It listed among other transgressions Iran’s support of “terrorist groups.”
The sanctions came a day after the Trump administration certified for the second time the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, though Trump reportedly resisted. The United States must certify Iranian compliance with the deal every 90 days.
Trump’s top security advisers persuaded him to recertify, noting that inspectors have confirmed that Iran is sticking to the terms of the deal even as it continues clashing with the United States and its allies in other spheres.
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