Addressing reporters in identical language to countless previous such
moves, President Trump unveiled new sanctions on Iran, declaring them
the “highest sanctions ever imposed on a country.”
The sanctions focused almost entirely on Iran’s Central Bank, accusing
them of financing “terrorism” as well as Iran’s nuclear program. They
added that the bank “destabilizes the region.”
The Central Bank is the largest financial institution in Iran, and
unsurprisingly has been totally blacklisted by the US for several years.
The bank’s governor responded mockingly to the announcement of them being sanctioned, saying it underscores that the US has “come up empty handed” in ideas for targeting Iran.
This has been a recurring problem with US sanctions against Iran, that
the US has been sanctioning them for so long there really is nothing
left to go after that anyone would even notice. The pressure to add more
sanctions continues, so the sanctions continue, meaningless or not.
Trump Announces ‘Toughest Sanctions Ever’ on Iran
Iran Central Bank mocks US for sanctioning them again
Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.
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