U.S. State Department: New Round of Sanctions Against Iran Starts on August 4

On Tuesday, July 2, the Director of Policy Planning at the U.S. State Department outlined the Trump administration's new strategy towards Iran, announcing that a new round of severe sanctions against Iran will begin on August 4, with the next phase starting on November 6, aiming to reduce Iran's oil exports to zero. Brian Hook emphasized in his press conference that the new strategy towards Iran is 'not about regime change, but about changing the behavior of Iran's leadership and meeting the demands of the people.' On May 8, President Donald Trump announced the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear agreement with Iran, stating that the JCPOA did not lead to more peace in the world and that the Islamic Republic continued to develop ballistic missiles and support terrorism in the region. Following this, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo presented 12 conditions for the Iranian government to adopt 'normal behavior,' end its destabilizing activities, and become a 'normal country.' Hook reiterated Pompeo's twelve conditions, stating that a normal country does not engage in terrorist actions against other countries, does not develop missile programs, and does not impoverish its own people. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has also published a list of Iran's demands from the U.S. Hook explained that the new sanctions, which are 'not about regime change, but about changing the behavior of Iran's leadership and meeting the demands of the people,' will begin on August 4, targeting Iran's automotive sector and gold trade. According to this senior U.S. diplomat, other sanctions will start on November 6, targeting Iran's energy sector and banking transactions. Shortly after these statements, the U.S. State Department announced that the start date for these sanctions will be November 4. In recent weeks, Iran's economic conditions have faced a new wave of inflation and currency market instability, leading to protests in Tehran and several other cities. Hook noted that 'the longest suffering caused by the Islamic Republic has been borne by the people of Iran, who today face difficulties in securing basic goods such as water, bread, and eggs,' adding, 'At the same time, the Iranian regime spends millions of dollars outside of Iran.' He pointed out that 'the Iranian regime suppresses the legitimate demands of the people for reforms in Tehran, Khorramshahr, and other areas with increasing severity and even greater violence,' stating that the U.S. stands with the people of Iran, and since the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA, 53 individuals and entities have been sanctioned for involvement in human rights violations or 'terrorist actions.' This U.S. official also referred to the current economic situation in Iran, stating, 'Last week, the lowest exchange rate of the rial against the dollar was recorded, and on June 28, one dollar in the unofficial market reached 8,500 tomans, which is double the official price of 4,250 tomans.' Iranian officials have accused the U.S. and the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization of being involved in the recent unrest, stating that they will resist U.S. sanctions. In his press conference, Hook also announced that a joint team between the State Department and the Treasury Department was formed about a month ago, intending to travel to various parts of the world to explain to governments and private companies the risks of dealing with Iran. According to Hook, this team has already visited 13 countries in Europe and East Asia, and trips to Gulf countries will take place this week. A few days ago, a U.S. official explained that Washington is trying 'to persuade as many customers as possible to completely stop buying oil from Iran.' Hook reiterated this on Tuesday, stating, 'We are trying to encourage as many countries that buy Iranian oil as we can to bring their purchases to zero as soon as possible.' Currently, negotiations are ongoing between Iran and three European countries—Germany, France, and the UK—to 'save the JCPOA despite U.S. sanctions,' but Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, has stated that there is little hope for these negotiations to yield results, claiming that 'the JCPOA is in ICU.' Hook also emphasized that U.S. sanctions 'never include humanitarian cases and will not affect food and medicine.' So far, more than 50 international companies, especially in the energy and financial sectors, have announced their intention to end their dealings with Iran.