US Imposes New Sanctions on Iran, Targets Supreme Leader’s Foundation

The United States has levied new sanctions on Iran, targeting a foundation created by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Islamic Revolution Mostazafan Foundation has 160 holdings in key sectors of Iran’s economy, including finance, energy, construction, and mining, according to the US Treasury Department, which announced the new sanctions on Wednesday. Ten individuals associated with the foundation and 50 of its subsidiaries also are targeted by the sanctions, which freezes many of their U.S. assets. The sanctions also targeted Iranian intelligence chief Mahmoud Alavi, head of the regime’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security, which the Treasury Department said has “played a key role in the Iranian regime’s brutal human rights abuses against the Iranian people.” US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in a statement released on Wednesday titled “The Importance of Sanctions on Iran,” said: “The Maximum Pressure campaign is working, sanctions will continue, and the United States will not hesitate to impose painful consequences on those who engage in sanctionable activity. Throughout the coming weeks and months, we will impose new sanctions on Iran, including using our nuclear, counterterrorism, and human rights authorities, each reflecting the wide range of malign behavior that continues to emanate from the Iranian regime.”