The US issued dozens of sanctions on Iran as Washington and Tehran negotiate a deal that could see several prisoners released. Additionally, France, Germany, and the UK extended sanctions on Iran that were set to expire.
On Friday, the State Department announced dozens of sanctions targeting Tehran. Twenty-five Iranian individuals, three media outlets, and one internet research firm were added to Washington’s blacklist.
The US says the sanctions are a response to the suppression of protesters after the death of Mahsa Amini. She was detained for not following Iranian dress codes for women. Amini died from abuse while in police custody one year ago. After her death, widespread protests against Tehran’s strict laws broke out.
The new round of sanctions comes in anticipation of protests marking a year since her death. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, “The United States will continue to support Iranians – and all people – who are defending their human rights and fundamental freedoms.” He continued, “And today, we join people from across the globe in honoring the memory of Mahsa Amini and those killed.”
Muhammad Sahimi, NIOC Chair in Petroleum Engineering at USC and commentator on Iranian issues, explained in Responsible Statecraft that sanctions will hinder more liberal policies taking hold in Tehran. “Iranian people living in Iran are fully capable of resisting the brutal and reactionary policies of the clerics; pushing them back for meaningful irreversible reforms, and putting their country on a path toward a democratic state,” he wrote. “They do not need the exiled fake opposition and their American and Israeli patrons who from the comfort of their homes in the West call for street demonstrations, economic sanctions, and war.”
The sanctions could interfere with ongoing talks between Washington and Tehran aimed at releasing prisoners. The prisoner swap could occur as early as this week and would see ten people freed. The deal would also be a rare diplomatic success for the Joe Biden administration, which has taken an adversarial approach to nearly all states deemed a potential rival by Washington.
There are other potential issues that could scuttle the agreement between the US and Iran. The International Atomic Inspection Agency (IAEA), UK, France, and Germany have all attacked Iran for not following the 2015 Nuclear Agreement or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
The deal, inked during the Obama presidency, gave Tehran sanctions relief in exchange for Iran limiting its civilian nuclear capabilities. In 2018, President Donald Trump withdrew from the agreement, even as the IAEA – the UN’s atomic watchdog – certified Iran was in full compliance with the JCPOA.
Trump went on to reimpose sanctions on Iran that were lifted per the 2015 deal and applied new restrictions on trading with Tehran aimed at crippling the Islamic Republic’s economy. In response, Tehran began enriching uranium to higher levels and ended some additional inspections of its nuclear program that were required under the broken agreement.
The JCPOA explicitly allows Iran to walk back the limitations and inspections of its nuclear program if the other parties to the agreement break its commitments to lift sanctions.
On Saturday, IAEA head Rafael Grossi slammed Tehran for restricting inspections. “I strongly condemn this disproportionate and unprecedented unilateral measure which affects the normal planning and conduct of agency verification activities in Iran and openly contradicts the cooperation that should exist between the agency and Iran,” he said.
Additionally, London, Paris, and Berlin announced an extension of sanctions on Tehran that were set to be lifted under the nuclear agreement. “In direct response to Iran’s consistent and severe non-compliance with its JCPOA commitments since 2019, the governments of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom intend to maintain nuclear proliferation-related measures on Iran, as well as arms and missile embargoes, after JCPOA Transition Day on 18 October 2023,” a joint statement from the three countries said.
Kyle Anzalone is the opinion editor of Antiwar.com, news editor of the Libertarian Institute, and co-host of Conflicts of Interest.
U.S.: Unfreezes Iranian funds but says, you still can’t shop with us or our partners. What to do, what to do.
They’re having a sale at the W-Mart:EVERYTHING MUST GO
NOW!
FREE NUKES FOR ALL WHO APPLY!
Come now Donna. They bought couple of warheads in the 90’s at a wholesale price. That’s just waste of money.
They don’t even hide that they’re actively undoing what they’re falsely claiming they’re doing. Using “the suppression of protesters after the death of Mahsa Amini” as the reason is a great example of the highest level of hypocrisy. Remember the 75 year old shoved by the Buffalo police that was blamed on Trump? The charges against the officer were dismissed, but only after the elections. By the way, the police reported to Governor Andrew Cuomo at the time! You can’t make this $hit up even if you tried. (Sarcasm)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_police_shoving_incident
Yes, for sure…! the US will continue to support all Iranian people by more sanctions that directly affect them instead of people running the government…!
“ defending their human rights and fundamental freedoms “. Is Blinken talking about about the Palestinians ? American hypocrisy once again on shameless display
Euro partners ? , give them their proper title EU LACKEYS have been for 60 years.
The new round of sanctions comes in anticipation of protests marking a year since her death. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, “The United States will continue to support Iranians – and all people – who are defending their human rights and fundamental freedoms.”
Unless, of course, those people are under control of an apartheid practicing government that we send $4 billion dollars per year.
Does it begin with I and end in LL?
ISRAHELL?
False, Kyle Anzalone. She died from a heart attack due to a bad heart, not from “abuse”. Kyle Anzalone is no doubt aware of the surveillance film that disproves his claim. She was taken to the station and was standing up in a room full of women, talking to a female police officer, when she fell to the floor. The police tried to help her and had her transported to the hospital, where she died.
Ah yes, “widespread protests” – let’s not mention the fact that it was Kurds shouting: “THIS WILL BE THE YEAR OF BLOOD!”
They want to take over part of Iran like they have done in Syria with U.S. help, where they burn wheat fields, occupy water reserves and Syria’s oil, and ethnically cleanse Arab villages. The woman with a heart problem was a Kurd, so they could use that. Even though Mahsa’s family asked them not to exploit her death.
They were joined by Baluchi protesters who want the same. And by the communists. Remnants of the communist party installed in northern Iran by the Soviet-British invasion in 1941 to funnel weapons and gold to Stalin.
The peaceful protests were allowed, like other protests in Iran. The violent ones, where the separatists and communists attacked old Persian women to tear off their headscarves, were the ones the police fought. They also attacked police. They used the lie about “Amini died from abuse in police custody” as an excuse for the violence they are always longing for.
Then some lawmakers signed a letter urging the courts to prosecute those who had committed criminal acts, vandalizing and attacking passers-by and police. And the NYT and others turned this into “Iranian lawmakers sign letter to execute thousands of protesters!”
Mr Kyle must be very confident for not using the word “allegedly” in the above statement…!
Grossi is a Zionist thug…. All IAEA inspectors should be expelled or be rotated on a constant basis… Iran should demand choosing its own inspectors…!