First round of US sanctions reimposed on Iran Monday; Netanyahu: The time has come to stop talking and to take action, and that is exactly what the US has done and what Europe should do; Rouhani: Negotiations with sanctions does not make sense.
The Trump Administration reimposed sanctions on Iran on Monday.
The sanctions were removed under the Obama Administration as part of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with world powers. The United States, which left the nuclear deal under the Trump Administration, reimposed sanctions in an effort to curb Iran’s nuclear and missile programs.
Full sanctions include restrictions on purchasing US dollars, trade on gold and precious metals and the sale and trade of graphite and metals. These sanctions went into full effect on Tuesday morning.
President Trump released a statement on Monday, confirming the sanctions as well as reiterating his administration’s reasons for leaving the nuclear deal. He stated that since the nuclear deal was reached with world powers, “Iran’s aggression has only increased. The regime has used the windfall of newly accessible funds it received under the JCPOA to build nuclear-capable missiles, fund terrorism, and fuel conflict across the Middle East and beyond. To this day, Iran threatens the United States and our allies, undermines the international financial system, and supports terrorism and militant proxies around the world.”
He stated on the nuclear deal and Iran’s missile program, “As we continue applying maximum economic pressure on the Iranian regime, I remain open to reaching a more comprehensive deal that addresses the full range of the regime’s malign activities, including its ballistic missile program and its support for terrorism.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu welcomed the sanctions, congratulating President Trump and his administration stating, “This is an important moment for Israel, the United States, the region and the entire world. It represents the determination to curb Iran’s aggression in the region and its ongoing intention to arm itself with nuclear weapons.”
He called on European states to join the United States as “The time has come to stop talking and to take action, and that is exactly what the US has done and what Europe should do.”
In November of this year, sanctions on Iran’s oil and energy sectors are to resume. The White House confirmed the sanctions will include “targeting Iran’s energy sector, including petroleum-related transactions, as well as transactions by foreign financial institutions with the Central Bank of Iran”.
Meanwhile, the European Union announced that it would use a blocking statute to nullify European firms from being affected by the US sanctions. The European Commission announced on Monday that in order to “protect European economic operators engaged in legitimate business with Iran,” it would invoke its “Blocking Statute” Tuesday to “protect EU companies doing legitimate business with Iran from the impact of US extra-territorial sanctions”. It claimed “Preserving the nuclear deal with Iran is a matter of respecting international agreements and a matter of international security.”
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani gave a televised address on Monday night, announcing that the Islamic Republic would not enter negotiations with the “enemy” while under sanctions. He stated “If you’re an enemy and you stab the other person with a knife, and then you say you want negotiations, then the first thing you have to do is remove the knife. They want to launch psychological warfare against the Iranian nation. Negotiations with sanctions does not make sense.”
Be sure to watch Amir’s recent special update where he spoke about sanctions on Iran, developments on the Syrian-Israeli border, the developing crisis in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf with the unusual Iranian military drill and much more.
Photo: Andrea Izzotti/Shutterstock.com
