US to hit Iran with new sanctions, strongest penalties in history - Pompeo

The United States will re-impose all sanctions on Iran and enact an unprecedented package of new penalties until "Tehran stops backing terror groups throughout the Middle East," U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said
Monday, 21 May 2018 23:27

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday warned Iran would be hit with the "strongest sanctions in history" and cautioned European firms against continuing to do business in Tehran.

"The sting of sanctions will only grow more painful if the regime does not change course from the unacceptable and unproductive path it has chosen for itself and the people of Iran," Pompeo said.

"These will be the strongest sanctions in history by the time we are done," he added.

Pompeo’s speech, his first major foreign policy address, followed a decision by U.S. President Donald Trump to withdraw the U.S. from a 2015 nuclear deal in which Iran pledged to stop enriching uranium and curtail other nuclear-related activity for a period of 10 to 15 years.

Pompeo added that unprecedented sanctions will remain in place until "Iran stops backing terrorist groups" such as Hezbollah, Hamas in Gaza, Islamic Jihad in Palestinian territories and Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Pompeo cited last week’s imposition of penalties against the head of Iran’s central bank and other entities for funding the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Quds Force as "just the beginning."

"Iran will be forced to make a choice: either fight to keep its economy off life support at home or keep squandering precious wealth on fights abroad," Pompeo said. "It will not have the resources to do both."

"At the end of the day the Iranian people will get to make a choice about their leadership," Pompeo said.

ROUHANI: WHO ARE YOU TO DECIDE FOR IRAN?

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani quickly dismissed the threats and the administration of Trump as a "move 15 years backwards to the era of Bush junior and a repeat of the same statements as 2003".

"Who are you to decide for Iran and the world?," the semi-official ILNA news agency quoted Hassan Rouhani as saying. 

"The world today does not accept America to decide for the world, as countries are independent ... that era is over ... We will continue our path with the support of our nation."

"The era of such statements has evolved and the Iranian people have heard these statements hundreds of times, and no longer pay attention," he added.

SANCTIONS' VIOLATORS 'WILL BE HELD TO ACCOUNT'

Elaborating on the future U.S. sanctions against Iran, Pompeo noted that Washington would be sending specialists to all countries to explain the new U.S. policy. He confirmed that any entity conducting business with Iran would be "held to account" by the U.S. He expressed hope that the U.S. sanctions will be met with support from U.S. allies beyond Europe.

The U.S. decision to leave the agreement has sparked a cold snap in the relations with its European allies and co-signatories of the deal, namely the European Union, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Iran, Russia, and China. 

The re-imposed U.S. sanctions will affect any company doing business with Tehran, putting European firms at risk, as they have heavily invested in Iran. European nations are currently considering options to counter possible U.S. sanctions against their companies, such as implementing the "blocking statute" from 1996. 

EU'S MOGHERINI: NO ALTERNATIVE TO IRAN DEAL

The re-establishment of U.S. sanctions will force European companies to choose between investing in Iran or trading with the United States.

The EU's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said Monday there was "no alternative" to the Iran nuclear deal, after Pompeo vowed unprecedented sanctions against Tehran.

"Secretary Pompeo's speech has not demonstrated how walking away from the JCPOA (nuclear deal) has made or will make the region safer from the threat of nuclear proliferation or how it puts us in a better position to influence Iran's conduct in areas outside the scope of JCPOA," Mogherini said.

"There is no alternative to the JCPOA."

U.S THANKS SAUDI ARABIA FOR SUPPORTING TRUMP'S DECISION

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan thanked Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir for Riyadh backing the U.S. decision to exit the JCPOA with Iran, State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a press release after the leaders met at the G20 ministerial in Argentina on Monday.

On May 8, Trump withdrew the United States from the JCPOA and the U.S. Treasury immediately began reimposing sanctions on Tehran. 

The JCPOA - signed by Iran, the P5+1 and the EU in 2015 - requires Tehran to maintain a peaceful nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

The Bahraini Foreign Ministry expressed its full support for the United States’ new hardline strategy toward Tehran.

"The strategy reflects the determination to confront the danger of Iranian policies that undermine security and stability in the region and to overcome the shortcomings of the nuclear agreement as well as to prevent the dangers of Iran’s ballistic missile program," the ministry said in a statement. The statement also praised U.S. "relentless" efforts to maintain international peace and security and "prevent the spread of chaos and tension in the region."

ISRAEL HAILS U.S. POLICY ON IRAN

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the U.S' policy on Iran and urged the rest of the world to follow suit.

"The U.S. policy is correct. Iran is spreading aggressively throughout the Middle East. It aspires to achieve nuclear weapons by various means," Netanyahu said as he met Paraguayan President Horacio Cartes in Jerusalem.

"We call on the entire international community to join this American position," Netanyahu added.

"Whoever wants to halt Iran's aggression and whoever wants to ensure security, and whoever wants to advance peace must oppose Iran and support the American position. This is what Israel is doing," Netanyahu said.

"President Trump has taken a firm position, which we welcome, against Iran. It was echoed by him and today by the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, very strong position: No enrichment, tough sanctions and Iran should get out of Syria," he said.