Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif requests relief from US sanctions for the outbreak of the Corona epidemic • US response to new sanctions
Iranian Foreign Minister Muhammad Zarif // Photo: Reuters
The outbreak of the Corona virus in Iran has already claimed (according to official data) the lives of 2,234, with 157 victims being added in the last day. In recent weeks, officials in the Islamic Republic, led by Foreign Minister Mohammad Jawad Zarif, have been trying to persuade Washington to ease the sanctions burden on Iran. Today, the U.S. Treasury Secretariat sent a clear message from the Trump administration to the Ayatollah regime: new sanctions.
From Twitter
The new sanctions were applied against 20 bodies, including Iranian and Iraqi companies, senior officials and bodies serving in the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guards, or bodies in the Shiite Iraqi militias: "Hezbollah regiments" and "Assyb Ahel al-Haq." The bodies against which the new sanctions were applied include smuggling through Iraq's Umm Qassar port, money laundering, selling Iranian oil to the Assad regime in Syria, smuggling Iraqi and Yemeni weapons, promoting Iranian propaganda in Iraq, controlling terrorism for Baghdad politicians, and classifying public donations into public donations To religious institutions. "
"Iran operates a network of companies whose purpose is to raise funds for its terrorist activities. They prefer to divert more resources to the terrorist forces that Iran operates than to civilians," explained US Treasury Secretary Stephen Menuchin. Calling for relief from the crackdown due to the Corona outbreak, he noted: "We are concerned about exceptions in agriculture, food, medical equipment and medical equipment, to help the Iranian people fight the Corona virus."
The 30 sanction targets include the "Restructuring of Religious Sites in Iraq," operated by Quds Force officials in both Iran and Iraq. This is a body created by Kassem Suleimani before its liquidation. The organization has transferred millions of dollars to the construction company "Kosar", which has provided sites in Iraq in favor of Iranian intelligence activity in the country.
Another company that has been sanctioned is the port services company "Al-Hamal" located in Umm Kasser. As part of its operations, it operated Shia militia for smuggling, and assisted in selling Iranian oil - in violation of US sanctions.
Two senior officials who have been sanctioned are Sayyid Yasser Musabir and Sheikh Adnan al-Hamidawi. Musabir, a Quds Force official, was stationed in Iraq in early 2014 and serves as the Quds Force liaison officer with Iraqi Shiite militias. In 2019, he worked with senior Quds officials to sell oil deals provided from the Ayatollah regime to Bashar Assad's regime in Syria. Sheikh a-Hamidawi is the Hezbollah Battalion's Special Operations Officer, who has acted fearfully among top Iraqi politicians to support the withdrawal of US forces from the country.