Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced new sanctions on Iran’s exports and eight senior Iranian officials on Friday.
The Trump administration officials said the new penalties will target top Iranian officials involved in “destabilizing” activities in the Middle East and Tuesday’s missile strike.
Iran fired more than a dozen missiles at Iraqi bases that were housing U.S. troops in retaliation for the U.S. killing of Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike near the Baghdad airport last week.
Mnuchin said Trump would impose sanctions through an executive order on anyone involved in the country’s textile, construction, manufacturing or mining sectors. Separate sanctions would be imposed against the steel and iron sectors.
“As a result of these actions we will cut off billions of dollars of support to the Iranian regime,” the treasury secretary said.
Pompeo said the sanctions were meant “to strike at the heart of Iran’s internal security apparatus.”
Trump warned Wednesday that the sanctions were coming.
“As we continue to evaluate options in response to Iranian aggression, the United States will immediately impose additional punishing economic sanctions on the Iranian regime. These powerful sanctions will remain until Iran changes its behavior,” Trump said.
