Trump Administration Slaps Sanctions on Iran’s Houthi Envoy, University

The Trump Administration has slapped new sanctions on Iran in its waning days in office. The US State Department on Tuesday announced that it would sanction Hasan Irlu, Iran’s recently named liaison to the rebel Houthis in Yemen, accusing him of acting on behalf of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. “Iran’s support for the Houthis fuels the conflict in Yemen and exacerbates the country’s instability,” the State Department said in a statement. Sanctions also were announced for Al-Mustafa International University, an Iranian university with over 50 international branches, accusing them of recruiting fighters for the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. The guards, according to the State Department, “is the Iranian regime’s primary tool to sow chaos and destruction across the Middle East.” The sanctions also extended to Yousef Ali Muraj, an Iran-based Pakistani national who the State Department said has been involved in the revolutionary guard’s efforts to “coordinate, plan, and execute operations in the Middle East and United States.” The sanctions are part of the Trump Administration’s so-called Maximum Pressure campaign on Iran.