New US sanctions on Iran before Biden took office

WashingtonOn Wednesday, the administration of President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on a major Iranian institution and the Iranian Minister of Intelligence and National Security, increasing pressure on the Islamic Republic before Joe Biden took office.

The US Treasury said it had frozen any US interest in the Al-Mostazafin Foundation, a charity for the poor with broad interests in Iran’s economic sectors, including oil and mining.

The Treasury Department described the establishment as a “multi-million dollar economic empire” and a “major patronage network” for spiritual guide Ayatollah Ali Khamenei operating without government oversight.

The sanctions also hit Iranian Intelligence and Security Minister Mahmoud Alawi for human rights reasons, as the United States said his ministry is responsible for the practice of beatings and other violations of political prisoners.

These sanctions will have virtually limited effect, as the Trump administration has already put extensive restrictions on Iran, including attempting to halt all its oil exports and disrupt its financial system.

But the move comes at a time when Iran offers to re-comply with the nuclear deal negotiated under former President Barack Obama if Biden lifts sanctions after taking office on January 20.

Outgoing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo promised, in an indirect response, that Iran would continue to suffer “painful consequences.”

“The Iranian regime seeks to repeat the failed experiment that lifted sanctions and sent huge sums of cash in exchange for imposing modest nuclear restrictions” on Iran, he added in a statement.

“This is really worrying, but the most worrying thing is the idea that the United States is a victim of this nuclear blackmail and renounces our sanctions,” he said.