White House Following New US Sanctions Against the Islamic Republic: We Had Warned Iran

Jake Sullivan, the National Security Advisor of the White House, stated in a statement following the announcement of new sanctions against the Islamic Republic that the US had warned Iran it would face severe consequences, and now has expanded its sanctions against the country. On Friday, October 20, in response to the Iranian government's missile attack on Israel ten days prior, the US imposed new sanctions on the oil and petrochemical industries of the Islamic Republic. According to a statement from the Treasury Department, Friday's sanctions will intensify financial pressure on the Iranian government and limit its ability to generate vital revenue from the energy sector to undermine stability in the Middle East and attack US regional allies and partners. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the Treasury Department sanctioned 10 entities and declared 17 ships as blocked assets. According to the Treasury Department's statement, this action was taken due to their involvement in the transfer of Iranian oil and petrochemical products. Additionally, the US State Department sanctioned six entities and declared six ships as blocked assets. The reason for this action by the State Department was the deliberate involvement of the sanctioned parties in major transactions related to the purchase, acquisition, sale, transfer, or marketing of oil or petrochemical products of the Iranian government. Sullivan also added that the Biden administration has not lifted any of the sanctions on Iran and has sanctioned over 700 individuals and entities linked to Iran's destabilizing activities and support for terrorism. He emphasized that US allies will announce similar actions against Iran in the coming days. The attack, which occurred on October 1, targeted the city of Tel Aviv and could have resulted in the deaths of hundreds or thousands, but was thwarted with the cooperation of the US military and Israeli defense forces.