Iran's Reaction to Washington's Sanctions: Several American Individuals and Entities to be Sanctioned

On Tuesday, July 18, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran issued a statement criticizing the new U.S. sanctions against Tehran over its ballistic missile program, announcing that it would take reciprocal action. According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry's website, the statement described the new U.S. sanctions as a "petty and worthless action" in adding new names to the "illegal sanctions list," stating that Tehran would reciprocally "sanction several other American individuals and entities who have acted against the people of Iran and other Muslim nations in the region." The statement also mentioned that the U.S. government's action was aimed at "compensating for its failure to convince European allies to withdraw from the JCPOA." The Iranian Foreign Ministry indicated that "the names of these individuals will be announced soon." Previously, in response to sanctions imposed by the U.S. against certain Iranian individuals and entities, Iran had taken reciprocal action, sanctioning 24 American individuals and entities in April and May of this year. The Iranian Foreign Ministry's statement was released just hours after the U.S. Treasury Department placed 18 individuals and other entities on its sanctions list for supporting the ballistic missile activities of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The announcement of new sanctions came a day after the Trump administration confirmed Iran's compliance with the JCPOA provisions but stated that Tehran was not adhering to the spirit of the nuclear agreement. Tehran is accused of repeatedly conducting ballistic missile tests that could be used to carry nuclear warheads, despite UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which calls on Iran to refrain from developing ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Iran argues that its missile tests do not contradict the nuclear agreement, asserting that "the tested missiles were not intended to carry nuclear warheads." In this context, Mohammad Baqeri, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, stated on July 17 that "the missile power of the Islamic Republic of Iran is defensive and is never negotiable at any level." The emphasis by the Chief of Staff on the "defensive" nature of Iran's missile program comes as Yahya Rahim Safavi, a military advisor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, reported on July 22 the missile readiness of Hezbollah, an Iran-backed group, to strike Israel. Meanwhile, prior to the announcement of sanctions against 18 individuals and entities by the U.S., members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly (Parliament) approved an urgent bill to "counter the adventurous and terrorist actions of the U.S. in the region" on Tuesday. According to reports, the urgency of this bill was approved by an absolute majority amid chants of "Death to America" from the parliament members. Aladdin Boroujerdi, Chairman of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Parliament, previously stated that this bill was prepared in response to a new U.S. Senate proposal against Iran. On June 15 of this year, the U.S. Senate passed a bill to sanction Iran concerning its missile program and human rights issues. In this context, the U.S. sanctioned 18 individuals and other entities for supporting Iran's missile program. Zarif: We have the option to withdraw from the JCPOA in case of a major violation of the agreement. The U.S. confirmed Iran's compliance with the nuclear agreement; "non-nuclear sanctions are on the way." Baqeri warned of a "great risk" for U.S. bases in the region. Zarif: The U.S. has not respected the spirit of the JCPOA due to its wrong policies.