As expected from comments made on Thursday, President Trump and the Treasury Department have imposed a new round of sanctions against Iran for last weekend’s missile test, targeting 13 individuals and 12 companies accused of having involvement with the program.
The sanctions not only forbid those targeted people from having dealings with any American companies or with the American financial system, but also threaten to blacklist anybody else on the planet who has dealings with them. Administration officials said today’s sanctions are just the “opening shot” in a new campaign to go after Iran.
The Treasury Department was quick to argue that the new sanctions were fully consistent with the P5+1 nuclear deal, and had no impact on that pact. Since the ballistic missile tests are only banned to the extent they are capable of carrying a nuclear payload, it is debatable.
Iran insisted earlier in the week that the missile test was not of a missile designed with nuclear warheads in mind, and dismissed today’s moves as “baseless ranting” and a product of “Trump’s extremism.”
Congressional hawks were thrilled, however, with Rep. Ed Royce, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, saying it was a “long-overdue” move against Iran, and that the tests “are a direct threat to the United States.”
