US Slaps Iran with Sanctions

The Fellowship  |  July 18, 2017

Earlier, Stand for Israel reported on the latest threats by Iran toward the United States – threats to attack American military bases in the Middle East. It is instances like this one that help justify the latest U.S. sanctions against the Islamic Republic, which The Times of Israel reports, have been brought about by Iran’s ballistic missile program and its support for such terror groups as Hezbollah and Hamas:

The Trump administration on Tuesday slapped new sanctions on 18 Iranian individuals, groups and networks for aiding Iran military and supporting the country’s ballistic missile program.

The move comes the day after the administration certified to Congress that Iran is technically complying with the nuclear deal and can continue enjoying nuclear sanctions relief, but warned penalties may still be in the offing over non-nuclear behavior.

The US Treasury Department sanctions targeted seven groups and five people that aided Iran’s military or the elite Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. The sanctions also targeted what the US says is a transnational criminal group based in Iran and three people associated with it, which the Treasury Department says stole software from the US and other Western countries.

The State Department also targeted two more groups associated with Iran’s ballistic missiles program and said it was “deeply concerned” over Tehran’s support for Lebanese terror group Hezbollah and Palestinian terror groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

“Iran’s continued malign activities outside the nuclear issue undermine the positive contributions to regional and international peace and security that the deal was supposed to provide,” State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert. “The United States will continue to use sanctions to target those who lend support to Iran’s destabilizing behavior and above all, the United States will never allow the regime in Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon…”