The Trump administration hit Iran with new sanctions Friday, one day after President Trump said he had put Tehran “on notice” for testing a missile. The Treasury Department announced sanctions against 13 individuals and 12 entities. Speaker Paul D. Ryan said the “swift and decisive response proves that our new administration is serious about holding the…
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The America-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) issued this statement:
AIPAC applauds the Trump Administration’s announcement today sanctioning an additional 13 individuals and 12 entities for their support of Iran’s malign activities. Iran has stepped up its aggressive behavior over the last year, highlighted by another ballistic missile test this week. The Trump Administration has made clear that the United States intends to push back against Iran’s unacceptable actions, and these new designations mark an important first step. We also appreciate the bipartisan group of 22 senators who advocated for additional sanctions.
The American Jewish Committee issued this comment:
AJC applauded the Trump Administration’s quick and firm response to the latest illicit Iranian test of a ballistic missile. The UN Security Council deemed in a July 2015 resolution that such tests are illegal. It was adopted soon after the P5+1 and Iran signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) regarding Iran’s nuclear program.
“Nefarious Iranian behavior cannot go unchecked,” said AJC CEO David Harris. “Rigorous monitoring of Iran’s compliance with the JCPOA and related international measures, such as the UN ban on ballistic missile tests, is imperative to successfully curtailing Iran’s threats to regional and global security.”
The U.S. sanctions imposed today on 13 people and a dozen companies follow a Security Council meeting earlier this week to discuss Sunday’s missile test. Iran has violated the UN resolution a number of times.
The 2015 Security Council resolution called “upon Iran not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such ballistic missile technology.” It bars Iran from conducting ballistic missile tests until 2023.
U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman (D-California) issued the following statement:
“The Trump Administration sanctioned several Iranian and other foreign entities today, partially in response to missile tests conducted recently by Iran.
“These new sanctions are merely symbolic. It is important to keep in mind that these firms and individuals probably do no business with the United States. My guess is that many of the newly designated people and companies have little exposure to the international financial system.
“Much of Iran’s economy is in the hands of its Revolutionary Guards and other nefarious actors. The JCPOA (the Iran nuclear deal) did not remove sanctions on the Revolutionary Guards and did not require us to drop secondary sanctions – penalties on foreign firms that do business with the Revolutionary Guards. Trump can and should put “on notice” any multinational firms that are going back into Iran and ensure that they will face crippling secondary sanctions if they get caught doing business with the Revolutionary Guards or the other entities on our sanctions list. And they will eventually get caught, because it is virtually impossible to do business in Iran without touching the IRGC. Today’s actions do not really move the ball in that regard.
“Iran continues to support terrorism, fire off missiles in defiance of the international community, and remains a lifeline for the regime of Bashir Assad in Syria and the Houthi rebels in Yemen. President Trump says that his predecessor was too “kind” to Iran. But President Obama sanctioned a very large number of Iranian and Chinese persons and entities.
“Iran has ballistic missiles with reported ranges of up to 2,500 miles that can target our European allies and our allies in the Middle East, including Israel and Jordan. This is in addition to the thousands of U.S. servicemen and women stationed in the Middle East.
“In order to really counter Iran’s destabilization in the Middle East and beyond President Trump will need to do more to isolate Iran economically.”
The Republican Jewish Coalition released the following statement from Executive Director Matt Brooks:
“With Iran becoming increasingly emboldened, it’s a welcome sight to see President Trump quickly and aggressively respond to their hostile actions. President Trump has made it clear that threatening activities from Iran to the United States and our allies will not go unanswered, and the new sanctions imposed today prove he will deliver on that promise.”
The Anti-Defamation League issued the following statement:
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) welcomed today’s announcement of new sanctions against Iran following reports of another ballistic missile test by the regime in Tehran.
The Department of Treasury imposed sanctions against individuals and entities associated with Iran’s dangerous ballistic missile program and its ongoing support for terror.
“We welcome the action taken by the Treasury Department to impose consequences on Iran’s ongoing support for terrorism and its flagrant and repeated ballistic missile tests that violate U.N. Security Council Resolution 1929,” said Marvin D. Nathan, ADL National Chair. “The sanctions regime led by the Department of Treasury and its Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence has been a critical tool to exert pressure on Tehran to address the full range of threats Iran poses to U.S. interests and to stop its destabilizing aggression.”
“The Trump administration’s swift and targeted response today sends an important signal that the U.S. remains, and will continue to be, serious about holding the regime in Tehran accountable for its behavior,” said Jonathan A. Greenblatt, ADL CEO. “We hope others in the international community will follow suit and will refuse to allow Iran’s dangerous threats to be met with impunity.”
On the first anniversary of the signing of the Iranian nuclear agreement with the international community, ADL reassessed the merits of the deal and highlighted that the regime remains “a belligerent actor whose norms and rhetoric do not line up with those of other nations.”