Iran has added 24 US officials and people to its list of sanctioned individuals for alleged “terrorism” and human rights breaches. On Saturday, the Iranian foreign ministry designated nine targets for “terrorist crimes”.
Included in this list are former US Army Chief of Staff George W Casey Jr., former US Central Command Commander Joseph Votel, former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, and various current and past US ambassadors in Palestine and Lebanon.
The foreign ministry also blacklisted 15 people for “gross human rights violations”.
In both the Trump and Obama administrations, these individuals helped impose and increase harsh US sanctions on Iran.
Several former Treasury Department officials and top Kharon executives were also banned.
In a statement, the foreign ministry stated that unilateral coercive measures violate the fundamental principles of international law set down in the UN Charter and restrict the enjoyment of human rights.
During its term, the Obama administration levied many sanctions against Iran. A 2015 nuclear deal with international powers eased most of them, but Trump unilaterally withdrew from the deal in 2018 and reimposed them, as well as new ones.
The sanctions, part of a “maximum pressure” effort to get Iran to agree to a new agreement, were stepped up during the coronavirus outbreak.
Iran had already issued penalties on 60 US officials on two occasions. Trump, his senior aides, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and hundreds of US military and diplomatic leaders from around the region attended.
A drone attack in Iraq killed Iran’s top commander, Qassem Soleimani, in January 2020.
In addition to not having assets that may be taken by Iranian officials, the sanctioned persons do not go to Iran.
In response to Soleimani’s murder, Iran has been pursuing vengeance, with The Associated Press reporting last week that Pompeo and former Iran ambassador Brian Hook face “severe and genuine” threats.
Iranian-US indirect discussions to salvage the 2015 nuclear deal have stagnated recently.
The US placed fresh sanctions on numerous firms in late March for allegedly supplying Iran’s ballistic missile development.
