Admin l Tuesday, June 25, 2019
WASHINGTON, United States – President Donald Trump of the United States has imposed sanctions on the Supreme Leader of Iran, Sayyid Ali Hosseini Khamenei and his office as part of effort to force Iran to the negotiation table.
Donald Trump imposed the sanction via an executive order which he signed on Monday. The new sanctions are coming few days after Iran shot down American drone on surveillance mission on international waters.
“We call on the regime to abandon its nuclear ambitions, change its destructive behavior, respect the rights of its people, and return in good faith to the negotiating table”, Donald Trump said.
The Executive order allows the Secretary of the Treasury to impose sanctions on officials appointed to their position by the Supreme Leader.
“These sanctions will deny Iran’s leadership access to financial resources, blocking them from using the United States financial system or accessing any assets in the United States.
“Anybody who conducts significant transactions with these sanctioned individuals may be exposed to sanctions themselves.The President is also authorizing the Secretary of the Treasury to impose sanctions on anyone who provides material support to the Supreme Leader’s Office”, the Whitehouse said in a statement, adding that President Trump’s action will target the most nefarious elements of the Iranian regime.
“The Supreme Leader funds and oversees the worst elements of the Iranian regime, such as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)”, the statement added.
The Whitehouse said the sanctions build on President Trump’s efforts to put financial pressure on and raise costs for the Iranian regime and that the President will continue to impose maximum pressure until the regime abandons its malign behavior.
“Efforts to impose maximum pressure have included placing sanctions on key sectors of Iran’s economy and designating the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization.The President has been clear that he is open to the possibility of future talks with Iran, and wants to ensure they are never allowed to gain nuclear weapons.