More Illegal US Sanctions on Iran

by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org – Home – Stephen Lendman)

Washington has waged political and economic war on Iran for 38 years, Trump and neocons in Washington especially hostile.

On Thursday, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) targeted 11 Iranian individuals and entities.

Phony accusations included “engaging in support of designated Iranian actors or malicious cyber-enabled activity,” Secretary Mnuchin blustering:

“Treasury will continue to take strong actions to counter Iran’s provocations, including support for the IRGC-Qods Force and terrorist extremists, the ongoing campaign of violence in Syria, and cyber-attacks meant to destabilize the US financial system.” 

“These sanctions target an Iranian company providing material support to the IRGC’s ballistic missile program, airlines that support the transport of fighters and weapons into Syria, and hackers who execute cyber-attacks on American financial institutions.”

 

Fact: No evidence of malicious Iranian cyber activity exists, no Iranian provocations against any nations, no state terrorism or support for terrorist groups. Just the opposite. Iran is responsibly involved in Syria combating this US-supported scourge.

Fact: Iran’s ballistic missile and other weapons programs are entirely legitimate. Its government fully complies with Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal provisions – unlike America, Obama and Trump imposing illegal sanctions on the country, war by other means.

No nuclear-related sanctions were imposed, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert saying “(t)he administration…approve(d) waivers in order to maintain some flexibility.”

Rex Tillerson said Trump “made…clear to those of us who are helping him develop this policy that we must take into account the totality of Iranian threats, not just Iran’s nuclear capabilities. That is one piece of our posture toward Iran.” 

Nauert ticked off the following phony accusations, all Big Lies, including Iranian ballistic missile development falsely claiming it violates JCPOA terms; “material and financial support for terrorism and also extremism, not just within their own country but around the globe; complicity in the Assad regime’s atrocities against the Syrian people; an unrelenting hostility to Israel; consistently threatening freedom of navigation, especially in the Persian Gulf…cyber attacks against the United States, human rights abuses; (and) arbitrary detention of foreigners…”

All of the above applies to America, not Iran, except for US support for Israeli viciousness, along with backing terrorists in Syria and elsewhere.

Aboard Air Force One, Trump blasted the nuclear deal, saying “(y)ou’ll see what I’m going to be doing very shortly in October.

He wants it abandoned, defying the world community if he rejects it unilaterally on October 15.

On Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted “(t)he #JCPOA is not (re)negotiable. A ‘better’ deal is pure fantasy. About time for US to stop spinning and begin complying, just like Iran.”

His comment came after meeting with Vladimir Putin in Sochi on Wednesday, both agreeing the JCPOA is non-renegotiable. All relevant parties must honor their obligations.

Separately, Zarif said Iran “fulfilled all its commitments concerning the JCPOA, but unfortunately certain sides have not remained as committed as they should.” 

“Today, we stress that this (nuclear deal) is an international and multilateral agreement and that all sides must adhere to it.”

It’s unclear if Trump will pull out in mid-October or certify Iranian compliance. Either way, hostile US actions against the country remain unrelenting.

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My newest book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

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