U.S. Policy
On November 24, President Hassan Rouhani called Israel a “cancerous tumor” and a “fake regime” established by Western powers. At the annual Islamic Unity Conference in Tehran, Rouhani also called on the world’s Muslims to unite against the Jewish state and the United States. Other Iranian leaders…
In August 2018, Ambassador James Jeffrey was appointed as the U.S. Special Representative for Syria Engagement. He became the lead State Department contact on all aspects of the Syrian conflict apart from the campaign to defeat ISIS. On September 27, Jeffrey said U.S. goals included defeating ISIS…
On November 13, the U.S. State Department offered rewards of up to five million dollars each for information on one Hamas leader and two Lebanese Hezbollah leaders. Both groups have received weapons, training and funding from Tehran for years. Hamas leader Salih al Aruri “is currently living freely…
On November 13, Ambassador-at-Large Nathan Sales, the State Department’s coordinator for counterterrorism, highlighted U.S. concerns about Iran’s support for terrorism and armed groups around the world. Sales said that Tehran provides nearly one billion dollars a year to groups including Lebanese…
On November 5, the U.S. Treasury reimposed sanctions on Iran that had been lifted or waived in January 2016 under the nuclear deal. The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned more than 700 individuals, entities, aircraft, and vessels — its largest ever single-day action targeting the…
On October 30, Secretary of Defense James Mattis criticized Iran’s role in fueling the conflict in Yemen. He also called for a ceasefire in Yemen within 30 days. “Yemen has had more problems than any people deserve to carry, and we're calling on all the parties, specifically the Houthis and the…
In two interviews, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo emphasized that U.S. sanctions are aimed at changing the Iranian government’s behavior. “Our aim is not to harm the Iranian people, but to change the behavior, the malign activity of this regime,” he told Laura Ingraham on October 31. On November 5…
On October 25, President Trump commemorated the 35th anniversary of the bombing on the Marine Barracks in Beirut, Lebanon. The country had been embroiled in a civil war since 1975. In 1982, President Reagan dispatched U.S. troops to Lebanon on a peace-keeping mission. On October 23, 1983, a …
On October 23, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned nine individuals associated with the Taliban, including Iranian supporters. The United States acted in partnership with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, the other member states of the Terrorist Financing Targeting…
On October 16, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned a network of 20 businesses for providing financial support to the Basij Resistance Force, a paramilitary under the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). “The Bonyad Taavon Basij network is an example of how the IRGC and Iranian military forces have…