May 8, 2019
Secretary Pompeo warns Iran is violating Iraqi sovereignty
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Baghdad on May 7 to meet with Iraqi leaders. Speaking with reporters before and after his meetings, Pompeo expressed concern about Iran’s escalating activity within Iraq. “We don’t want anyone interfering in their country,” he said.
May 8, 2019
Latest U.S. sanctions target Iran’s metal sectors
President Trump signed an executive order May 8 that authorizes secondary sanctions on individuals and financial institutions dealing in Iranian metals in order to deny the Iranian regime the cash it needs to fund its terrorist activities around the world.
May 8, 2019
U.S. pressure campaign on Iran after 1 year [infographic]
One year ago the United States ended its participation in the flawed Iran nuclear deal. Since then, U.S. pressure on Iran has exposed the regime’s corruption, mismanagement, human rights abuses and environmental destruction to its neighbors.
April 8, 2019
President Donald J. Trump Is Holding the Iranian Regime Accountable for Its Global Campaign of Terrorism
“The Iranian regime is the leading state sponsor of terror. It exports dangerous missiles, fuels conflicts across the Middle East, and supports terrorist proxies.” President Donald J. Trump.
December 12, 2018
Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo Remarks at the United Nations Security Council Meeting on Iran
When we collectively “call upon” Iran to cease its ballistic missile activity, we must agree to stop it now. But Iran is as defiant of the world’s insistence as ever. Because here we are, for the 12th year in a row, meeting about Iran’s ballistic missiles, addressing an incredibly problematic data set.
November 29, 2018
The Iranian Regime’s Transfer of Arms to Proxy Groups and Ongoing Missile Development
Special Representative for Iran, Brian Hook, remarks and answer questions at the Iranian Materiel Display (IMD) located at Joint Base Anacostia – Bolling.
November 26, 2018
Iran’s President Works To Further Isolate Iranian Regime From Both World and Iranian People (State.gov)
Iranian President Rouhani has once again called for the destruction of Israel. He referred to it as a “cancerous tumor” and a “fake regime.” Such statements inflame tensions in the region by seemingly calling for war. At an international conference on Islamic unity, Rouhani also encouraged Muslims worldwide to unite against the United States. This is a dangerous and irresponsible step that will further deepen Iran’s isolation.
November 20, 2018
Treasury Designates Illicit Russia-Iran Oil Network Supporting the Assad Regime, Hizballah, and HAMAS (treasury.gov)
Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is designating nine targets in an international network through which the Iranian regime, working with Russian companies, provides millions of barrels of oil to the Syrian government. The Assad regime, in turn, facilitates the movement of hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars (USD) to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) for onward transfer to HAMAS and Hizballah. U.S. sanctions prohibit material support to the Government of Syria, including shipments of oil to Syrian government-controlled ports, as well as material support to designated terrorist groups.
November 20, 2018
Sanctions Announcement on Iran
The United States today sanctioned an international network by which the Iranian regime and Russia are providing millions of barrels of oil to the Assad regime in exchange for the movement of hundreds of millions of dollars to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force, and for onward transfer to terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Hizballah.
November 20, 2018
U.S. sanctions target conspiracy between Iran, Syria, and Russia to keep Assad regime in oil (The Telegraph website, registration required)
Ambassador Johnson’s op-ed in The Telegraph newspaper
November 02, 2018
President Donald J. Trump Is Reimposing All Sanctions Lifted Under the Unacceptable Iran Deal (Whitehouse.gov)
The United States has launched a campaign of economic pressure to deny the regime the funds it needs to advance its bloody agenda.
October 18, 2018
A Chronicle of Iran’s Destructive Activies
This report documents the magnitude of the Islamic Republic’s destructive activities at home and abroad. Many of the activities highlighted have occurred recently, while others date back to the early days of the revolution. As this report makes clear, the one constant is that the Iranian regime will do whatever it takes to maintain its grip on power and spread its revolutionary ideology.
October 15, 2018
Confronting Iran: The Trump Administration’s Strategy (state.gov)
“President Trump inherited a world in some ways as dangerous as the one faced by the United States on the eve of World War I, the one right before World War II, or that during the height of the Cold War. But his disruptive boldness, first on North Korea and now on Iran, has shown how much progress can be made by marrying clarity of conviction with an emphasis on nuclear nonproliferation and strong alliances. President Trump’s actions in confronting outlaw regimes stem from the belief that moral confrontation leads to diplomatic conciliation.”
October 11, 2018
Helping Iranians ‘take back their basic human rights’ (Video)
With a November 4 deadline approaching, after which a full slate of U.S. sanctions on the Iranian regime will return, U.S. officials met with members of the Iranian diaspora to highlight the plight of 800 prisoners of conscience held by the Iranian government and other human rights abuses by the regime against its own people.
September 25, 2018
Secretary Pompeo’s Remarks at the United Against Nuclear Iran Summit (state.gov)
September 25, 2018
Secretary Pompeo Addresses United Against Nuclear Iran Summit (state.gov)
- REPORT: Outlaw Regime – A Chronicle of Iran’s Destructive Activities (PDF) (State.gov)
August 16, 2018
Secretary Pompeo’s Remarks on the Creation of the Iran Action Group (State.gov)
“The Iran Action Group will be responsible for directing, reviewing, and coordinating all aspects of the State Department’s Iran-related activity, and it will report directly to me.
For nearly 40 years, the regime in Tehran has been responsible for a torrent of violent and destabilizing behavior against the United States, our allies, our partners, and indeed the Iranian people themselves. In May of this year, President Trump withdrew from the flawed Iran nuclear deal, which failed to restrain Iran’s nuclear progress or its campaigns of violence abroad. In its place President Trump has instituted a campaign of pressure, deterrence, and solidarity with the long-suffering Iranian people.
Our hope is that one day soon we can reach a new agreement with Iran. But we must see major changes in the regime’s behavior both inside and outside of its borders. The Iranian people and the world are demanding that Iran finally act like a normal nation.”
Special Briefing on the Creation of the Iran Action Group (State.gov)
August 06, 2018
Senior Administration Officials Previewing Iran Sanctions (State.gov) – A Special Briefing via teleconference.
“So today, I want to briefly describe the actions that we’re taking today. The President has issued a new Iran executive order to reimpose sanctions relating to Iran, as you know. On May 8th, the President issued a national security presidential memorandum which directed the secretaries of Treasury and State and others to take a number of actions. And today’s announcement is just the next step in implementing the President’s decision.
Specifically, we are reimposing sanctions on Iran that had been lifted under the JCPOA. The snapback of these sanctions, again, supports the President’s decision to impose significant financial pressure on the Iranian regime, to continue to counter Iran’s blatant and ongoing malign activities, and then ultimately to seek a new agreement that addresses the totality of the Iranian threat.”
August 06, 2018
Statement from the President on the Reimposition of United States Sanctions with Respect to Iran (Whitehouse.gov)
Today, the United States is taking action to reimpose nuclear-related sanctions with respect to Iran that were lifted in connection with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action of July 14, 2015 (the “JCPOA”). These actions include reimposing sanctions on Iran’s automotive sector and on its trade in gold and precious metals, as well as sanctions related to the Iranian rial. These measures will take effect on August 7, 2018.
- President Donald J. Trump is Reimposing Sanctions Lifted Under the Horrible Iran Deal (Whitehouse.gov)
- Executive Order Reimposing Certain Sanctions with Respect to Iran
August 06, 2018
U.S. reinstates sanctions against Iran (ShareAmerica)
President Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal in May and said the U.S. would reimpose sanctions on Iran after a 180-day wind-down period. On August 7 the U.S. sanctions on Iran’s automotive sector, its trade in gold and other key metals, and its currency trading go back into effect.
The second round will kick in November 5 and will reimpose sanctions in these areas:
- Iran’s port operators and the energy, shipping and shipbuilding sectors.
- Iran’s petroleum-related transactions.
- Transactions by foreign financial institutions with the Central Bank of Iran
- The November 5 round will also re-list hundreds of individuals, entities, vessels and aircraft that were previously included on sanctions lists.
June 21, 2018
Iran draws international condemnation for execution of Sufi (ShareAmerica)
The United States and others around the world condemned the June 18 execution of Mohammad Salas, a member of the persecuted Iranian Gonabadi Dervish Sufi community. The U.S. called the execution “brutal and unjust.”
Salas, a 51-year-old bus driver and father of two, was hanged at the notorious Rajai Shahr Prison, known for its human rights abuses against the people of Iran.
Salas was forced to confess under torture to killing three police officers during the February 2018 clash between the Gonabadi Sufis and Iran’s security forces, according to reports. He was denied access to his lawyer, Zeynab Taheri, before and during his trial.
May 21, 2018
After the Deal: A New Iran Strategy (State.gov) Sec Pompeo: “We’ll continue to work with allies to counter the regime’s destabilizing activities in the region”
May 11, 2018
President Trump Says the Iran Deal is Defective at Its Core. A New One Will Require Real Commitments (Whitehouse.gov)
The Iranian regime cannot be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon. The 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), more commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, was a flawed agreement that proclaimed this goal but ultimately did not address the threats posed by the regime.
May 8, 2018
Background Briefing on President Trump’s Decision To Withdraw From the JCPOA (State.gov) “So the sanctions reimposition that the President talked about is going to come in two phases. There’s going to be one period for wind down that lasts about – that lasts 90 days, and one period of wind down that lasts six months. The six-month wind down – wind downs are, by the way, pretty standard across sanctions programs. So this is not Iran-specific, but oftentimes when we either impose sanctions or reimpose sanctions, we provide a wind down to allow both U.S. companies but foreign companies as well to end contracts, terminate business, get their money out of wherever the sanctions target is – in this case, Iran. Because what we want – we don’t want to do is we don’t want to impact or have unintended consequences on our allies and partners. We want to focus the costs and the pain on the target. And in this case, that’s the Iranian regime. ”
- Ceasing U.S. Participation in the JCPOA and Taking Additional Action to Counter Iran’s Malign Influence and Deny Iran All Paths to a Nuclear Weapon (Whitehouse.gov)
- Remarks by President Trump on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (Whitehouse.gov)
April 30, 2018
Secretary Pompeo on the Iran Atomic Archive “The documents show that Iran had a secret nuclear weapons program for years. Iran sought to develop nuclear weapons and missile delivery systems. Iran hid a vast atomic archive from the world and from the IAEA — until today.”
April 30, 2018
Remarks on Iran Atomic Archive (State.gov)
Secretary Pompeo’s remarks on aircraft en-route to Joint Base Andrews
April 23, 2018
2017 Human Rights Report – Iran Executive Summary (Virtual Embassy Iran)
April 18, 2018
Iranian people suffer as government spends on terrorism (Virtual Embassy Iran) Iranians are telling their government they need better economic opportunities and more responsive governance. Instead of spurring economic growth, the Iranian government is exporting billions to support global terror.
March 20, 2018
Fostering Internet Freedom and Supporting the Iranian People (Virtual Embassy Iran)
Treasury Department Reaffirms Commitment to Fostering Internet Freedom and Supporting the Iranian People
2017
October 13, 2017 President Donald J. Trump’s New Strategy on Iran President Donald J. Trump, in consultation with his national security team, has approved a new strategy for Iran. It is the culmination of nine months of deliberation with Congress and our allies on how to best protect American security.
October 13, 2017 WTAS: Praise for President Donald J. Trump’s New Strategy on Iran (Whitehouse.gov) Senator John McCain (R-AZ): “For years, the Iranian regime has literally been getting away with murder. Meanwhile, the United States has lacked a comprehensive strategy to meet the multifaceted threat Iran poses. The goals President Trump presented in his speech today are a welcomed long overdue change.”
17 May 2017 U.S. State Department Issues Report on Human Rights Sanctions on Iran (State.gov) The State Department released today its semi-annual report to Congress detailing sanctions imposed on persons involved in human rights abuses in Iran. The report cites recent sanctions against the Tehran Prisons Organization and Sohrab Soleimani, the former head of the Tehran Prisons Organization, as required by the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions Accountability and Divestment Act of 2010, as amended by the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012.