COVID-19 Information Last updated: 11/6/2020 Country-Specific Information: Iran has confirmed case of COVID 19 in its borders. Government offices, schools, and stores remain in open and operating. The U.S. Department of State continues to monitor developments related to COVID 19 in Iran closely. Entry and Exit Requirements: Are U.S. citizens permitted to enter? Yes Is …
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The Department of State suspended routine visa services worldwide in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In July 2020, U.S. Embassies and Consulates began a phased resumption of routine visa services. The resumption of routine visa services, prioritized after services to U.S. citizens, will occur on a post-by-post basis, consistent with the Department’s guidance …
Read More» On January 20, 2021, President Biden signed a Presidential Proclamation titled “Ending Discriminatory Bans on Entry to the United States.” This proclamation ends the travel restrictions under Presidential Proclamations 9645 and 9983 that had suspended entry into the United States of certain nationals, based on visa type, from Burma, Eritrea, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Libya, Nigeria, North …
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The United States Capitol 11:52 AM EST THE PRESIDENT: Chief Justice Roberts, Vice President Harris, Speaker Pelosi, Leader Schumer, Leader McConnell, Vice President Pence, distinguished guests, and my fellow Americans. This is America’s day. This is democracy’s day. A day of history and hope. Of renewal and resolve. Through a crucible for the ages America …
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Iranian conventional arms proliferation poses a persistent threat to regional and international security, as evidenced by Iran’s continued military support and confirmed arms transfers that fuel ongoing conflict in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, and elsewhere. On September 21, we announced the implementation of Executive Order 13949 that provides the United States additional tools to hold …
Read More» In June 2020, the State Department sanctioned the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) pursuant to Executive Order 13382 (WMD Proliferators and Their Supporters). At that time, we underscored the fact that IRISL is the preferred shipping line for Iranian proliferators and procurement agents. We have warned industry that those who do business with …
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Today, the United States is imposing sanctions on two organizations controlled by the Supreme Leader of Iran, the Execution of Imam Khomeini’s Order (EIKO) and Astan Quds Razavi (AQR). While masquerading as charitable organizations, EIKO and AQR control large portions of the Iranian economy, including assets seized from political dissidents and religious minorities, for the …
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Today, I revealed new information about how the Islamic Republic of Iran has given a new operational headquarters to al-Qa’ida, the terrorist network with more American blood on its hands than any other. For al-Qa’ida, Iran is the new home base. Tehran gives sanctuary to the terror group’s senior leaders as they plan attacks against …
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In December Iran’s parliament passed a law requiring expulsion of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) nuclear inspectors unless all sanctions are lifted. Today a member of the parliamentary leadership repeated that threat: all IAEA watchdog inspectors will be ejected unless sanctions are lifted. Once again the Iranian regime is using its nuclear program to extort …
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The American people honor the memory of the passengers and crew of Ukrainian International Airlines flight PS752, whose lives were abruptly and senselessly taken one year ago by an unjustified Iranian shootdown. The United States joins the Governments of Ukraine, Canada, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Afghanistan in paying tribute to, and calling for justice …
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Today, the United States is imposing sanctions on 17 companies and one individual in connection with Iran’s metals industry. The Iranian regime uses revenue from its metals sector to fund the regime’s destabilizing activities around the world. The Department of State is designating China-based Kaifeng Pingmei New Carbon Materials Technology Co., LTD (KFCC) and Iran-based …
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Petroleum and petrochemicals are major sources of revenue for the Iranian regime, revenue it employs to oppress the Iranian people and to advance its malign foreign agenda. Today, the Department of State is imposing sanctions on Vietnam Gas and Chemicals Transportation Corporation, a vessel manager, pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13846, for knowingly engaging, on …
Read More» Today, the Department of State has designated the Saraya al-Mukhtar group as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist pursuant to Executive Order 13224 for posing a significant risk of committing acts of terrorism that threaten the national security and foreign policy of the United States. Saraya al-Mukhtar is an Iran-backed terrorist organization based in Bahrain, reportedly …
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For 13 years, the Iranian regime has denied knowledge of Robert A. “Bob” Levinson’s whereabouts or condition. However, senior Iranian officials authorized Levinson’s abduction and detention and launched a disinformation campaign to deflect blame from the regime. Today, the United States is designating two senior officials of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS), who …
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The United States condemns the law recently approved by Iran’s Majles and Guardian Council, which is nothing more than the regime’s latest ploy to use its nuclear program to try to intimidate the international community. If implemented, this law would result in Iran enriching uranium to the dangerous 20% level, while Iran is already exceeding …
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Today, the United States is designating Hasan Irlu, an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – Qods Force (IRGC-QF) officer Iran recently sent to Sana’a Yemen to serve as the group’s liaison to the Houthi Movement. The United States is also designating Al-Mustafa International University, an Iranian university with over 50 international branches which provide a platform …
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The United States condemns any Iranian regime involvement in a chemical weapons program and will sanction those involved in any such activity. Today, the United States designated Iranian defense entity Shahid Meisami Group and its director, Mehran Babri, under Executive Order 13382, which targets proliferators of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) or WMD delivery systems, …
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The United States welcomes the Agreement announced today by the negotiating teams from the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Taliban. This Agreement is a major milestone in the Afghanistan Peace Negotiations that have been underway since September 12, 2020. The Agreement codifies the rules and procedures the two sides have been negotiating since the …
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On Wednesday, November 25, 2020, the United States sanctioned four entities located in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Russia for supporting Iran’s missile program, under the Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Act (INKSNA). We imposed sanctions against Chengdu Best New Materials Co., Ltd. and Zibo Elim Trade Co., Ltd. in the PRC …
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The Maximum Pressure campaign against the Iranian regime continues to be extraordinarily effective. Today, Iran’s economy faces a currency crisis, mounting public debt, and rising inflation. Prior to the Maximum Pressure campaign, Iran was exporting nearly 2.5 million barrels of oil per day. Now it struggles to export even a quarter of that volume. Since …
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One year ago, the Iranian regime killed as many as 148 Iranian civilians in Mahshahr, while imposing digital darkness to hide evidence of their savage crackdown on last November’s protests in that city. Both protesters and bystanders were targeted by snipers on rooftops, tracked down and surrounded by armored vehicles, and sprayed with machine-gun fire. …
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On November 15, 2019 and in the week that followed, brave Iranians took to the streets of more than 200 cities across Iran to protest four decades of mismanagement by a corrupt regime that squandered its people’s wealth on terrorism abroad and oppression at home. As the protesters exercised their freedom of expression, the regime …
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On November 10, 2020 the Department of the Treasury designated an international network of six companies and four individuals for facilitating the procurement of sensitive goods, including U.S.-origin electronic components, for Iran Communications Industries (ICI). ICI is a sanctioned Iranian military firm and a subsidiary of Iran Electronics Industries, which falls under Iran’s Ministry of …
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Forty-one years ago today, Ayatollah Khomeini’s followers broke into the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took more than 50 U.S. diplomats hostage. For the next 444 days, the Iranian regime tormented these brave Americans and their families who did not know if they would ever see their loved ones again. The survivors of the Iran …
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One year ago the United States, in conjunction with the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS and our local Iraqi and Syrian partners, launched an operation that took out Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the founder and leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). This followed the destruction of ISIS’s fraudulent territorial “caliphate” and was another major victory …
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Instead of using its natural resource wealth to improve living conditions for the Iranian people, the Iranian regime prefers to pawn its oil to fund the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) and support its terror proxies as they sow chaos and destruction around the Middle East. We will not let that happen. Today, pursuant …
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President Donald J. Trump, Sudanese Chairman of the Sovereignty Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke today to discuss Sudan’s historic progress towards democracy and opportunities to advance peace in the region. After decades of living under a brutal dictatorship, the people of Sudan are finally …
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The United States will not tolerate foreign interference in our elections. The whole of the U.S. government is using all the tools at our disposal to target those who attempt to interfere in our democratic process. Today’s action sanctions five Iranian entities pursuant to Executive Order 13848 for their efforts to spread disinformation and undermine …
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For many years, the Iranian regime and its primary tool of regional destabilization, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF), have exploited Iraq to advance their own interests at the expense of the Iraqi people. The IRGC-QF’s activities in Iraq continue to undermine Iraqi security, sovereignty, and prosperity. Today, the United States is taking another …
Read More» The international community has long recognized that the Iranian regime uses the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) to transport proliferation-sensitive items intended for Iran’s ballistic missile and military programs. One of the provisions of UN Security Council Resolution 1929 now in effect due to the snapback of UN sanctions mandates vigilance when doing …
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On September 19, virtually all UN sanctions on Iran returned, including re-imposition of the UN arms embargo. Accordingly, the export of certain conventional arms to Iran is a violation of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1929 and the procurement of any arms or related materiel from Iran is a violation of UNSCR 1747. The United …
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Today, the United States is identifying the Iranian financial sector as subject to the terms of Executive Order (E.O.) 13902 and sanctioning 18 major Iranian banks, further depriving the Islamic Republic of Iran of funds to carry out its support for terrorist activities and nuclear extortion that threatens the world. These sanctions will take effect …
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The Iranian regime must respect the human rights of the Iranian people. Despite its obligations and commitments, the regime continues to subvert its justice system to fuel fear and repression. The United States is committed to holding accountable those who are denying freedom and justice to the people of Iran, and today we are taking …
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Today, I am taking new actions to restrict Iran’s nuclear, ballistic missile, and conventional weapons pursuits. My Administration will never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon, nor will we allow Iran to endanger the rest of the world with a fresh supply of ballistic missiles and conventional arms. To ensure this cannot happen, I …
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The Trump Administration has made clear that the United States will do whatever it takes to prevent the Islamic Republic of Iran, the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism and anti-Semitism, from spreading death and mayhem throughout the Middle East and the world. Rather than wait for the day that Iran threatens the world with …
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The Trump Administration has always understood that the greatest threat to peace in the Middle East comes from Islamic Republic of Iran, whose violent efforts to spread revolution have killed thousands and upended the lives of millions of innocent people. History shows appeasement only emboldens such regimes. Thus today, the United States welcomes the return …
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The Iranian regime is one of the world’s leading threats to cybersecurity and human rights online. Today, the United States is sanctioning the Iranian cyber threat group Advanced Persistent Threat 39 (APT39), 46 associated individuals, and a front company, Rana Intelligence Company (Rana) pursuant to Executive Order 13553. Together, these groups and individuals targeted at least 15 countries …
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“No policy,” said Charles de Gaulle, “is worth anything outside of reality. That maxim guides the United States’ policy regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran. We recognize the regime for what it is: the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, and the primary source of instability in the Middle East. I believe our friends in …
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Today, the Department of State imposed sanctions on five entities, under section 3(a)(ii) of Executive Order (E.O.) 13846, for knowingly engaging in a significant transaction for the purchase, acquisition, sale, transport, or marketing of petroleum or petroleum products from Iran. The Department of State also imposed sanctions, under section 5(a)(vii) of E.O. 13846, on three …
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Even as the pandemic has taken a major hit on Iran, Tehran refuses to let up on its virulent hatred of Jews and targeting of Israel. Which is why the Trump administration’s pushback remains as vital as ever. When the Islamic Revolution swept Iran 41 years ago, an ideology driven by rabid anti-Semitism erased a …
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Friday, August 21 marks the annual Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism. To both remember and honor these victims, today the U.S. Department of State is announcing visa restrictions on 14 Iranian individuals for their involvement in gross violations of human rights on behalf of the Iranian regime, the world’s leading state …
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Good afternoon, everyone. Just a few minutes ago, I delivered letters to both the UN Secretary-General Guterres and to the president of the Security Council. I notified them that the United States is initiating the restoration of virtually all UN sanctions on Iran lifted under UN Security Council Resolution 2231. This process will lead to …
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Because of the flawed nuclear deal negotiated by the prior administration, the arms embargo on the world’s most heinous terrorist regime is scheduled to expire on October 18th, a mere four months from now. This Chamber has a choice: Stand for international peace and security, as the U.N.’s founders intended, or let the arms embargo …
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The Iranian regime uses revenue it receives from the export of metals to provide funding for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, and other malign activities in the Middle East, and beyond. Today, as part of our maximum pressure campaign, the United States designated eight entities connected with Iran’s metal industry …
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Today, the United States, under Executive Order 13599, is sanctioning five Iranian ship captains, who delivered approximately 1.5 million barrels of Iranian gasoline and related components to Venezuela in support of the illegitimate Maduro regime. These individuals who headed five Iranian-flagged tankers – CLAVEL, PETUNIA, FORTUNE, FOREST, and FAXON – to Venezuela’s shores are now added to the List of Specially Designated Nationals and …
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More than six years ago, the brave photographer known as Caesar shocked the world by smuggling out of Syria the photographic proof that the Assad regime was torturing and executing many thousands of Syrians in the regime’s prisons. This act of bravery is the inspiration behind the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act (the Caesar Act), signed …
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Signatories to this statement reiterate our deep concern regarding Beijing’s decision to impose a national security law in Hong Kong. Hong Kong has flourished as a bastion of freedom. The international community has a significant and long-standing stake in Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability. Direct imposition of national security legislation on Hong Kong by the …
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Overview Since coming to power in 1979, the Iranian regime has been implicated in assassinations, terrorist plots, and terrorist attacks in more than 40 countries. Senior Iranian officials have declared that Iran follows and constantly surveils Iranian dissidents in other countries to “crack down on them” and “strike decisive blows.” Iran’s global campaign of terror …
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As the US special representative for Iran, I receive complaints regularly about Voice of America’s Persian service. Iranian viewers say its American taxpayer-funded programming often sounds more like the “Voice of the mullahs” than the “Voice of America.” VOA Persian needs to do a better job of countering Iranian disinformation and propaganda. This is a …
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Today, I am announcing the end of the sanctions waiver covering all remaining JCPOA-originating nuclear projects in Iran – the Arak reactor conversion, the provision of enriched uranium for the Tehran Research Reactor, and the export of Iran’s spent and scrap research reactor fuel. The sanctions waiver covering these activities will end following a final, …
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The United States believes that all humans are deserving of dignity, respect, and equality before the law. The Iranian regime clearly disagrees, and their discrimination against the LGBTQ community is another injustice against the Iranian people. Iran’s 2013 Islamic Penal Code continues to penalize consensual same-sex relations between adults by severe and inhumane punishments, including the death …
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Today, the United States is imposing financial sanctions and visa restrictions on Iranian individuals and entities under human rights-related authorities. These actions with respect to 12 Iranian individuals and entities by the Department of State and Department of the Treasury send a message of support to the Iranian people that we will continue to amplify …
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The People’s Republic of China is one of the rapidly dwindling number of countries that welcomes Mahan Air, which ferries weapons and terrorists around the world for the Islamic Republic of Iran. Such cooperation has consequences. Today, the United States designated Shanghai Saint Logistics Limited, a PRC-based company that provides general sales agent services for …
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As we work together to defeat the coronavirus at home, the United States stands with our global partners in their time of need, as we always have. A healthier world means a healthier United States. For more than a half century, the United States has been the largest contributor to global health security and humanitarian …
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For years, Iran has claimed its space program is purely peaceful and civilian. The Trump Administration has never believed this fiction. This week’s launch of a military satellite by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, makes clear what we have said all along: Iran’s space program is neither peaceful nor entirely civilian. In February 2020, the head …
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Iran has long used its naval forces to terrorize the international maritime community – this is not a new phenomenon. In 2015, during negotiations of the Iran Deal and after its adoption, the U.S. Navy recorded 22 incidents of unsafe and unprofessional conduct by the IRGC Navy (IRGCN), many that risked collision. An additional 36 …
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Chinese authorities routinely prohibit Muslims from practicing their faith — from forbidding fasting during the holy month of Ramadan to punishing halal practices. Regulations in Xinjiang in northwest China specifically forbid men from growing “abnormal beards” and women from wearing veils that cover their faces. Prayer mats and copies of the Quran are regularly confiscated …
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Iranian academics are faulting Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei for stifling information on COVID-19 and declining foreign aid, allowing the country’s outbreak to grow into “a national disaster.” In the March 29 letter, reported by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), 100 academics call Khamenei “the Number 1 culprit” for COVID-19 sweeping the nation unchecked. Now one Iranian is …
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America gives more medical and humanitarian assistance than any other country. At home, America is meeting the increased medical needs of its citizens in a unique way across with both government and private industry. Two U.S. Navy hospital ships, the USNS Mercy and USNS Comfort, are now taking on civilian patients while docked at the …
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Iran’s leaders have repeatedly refused outside offers to help everyday Iranians who are suffering from COVID-19, worsening the regime’s failed response to the outbreak. Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), the aid group also called Doctors Without Borders, said March 24 that Iran’s regime rejected previously agreed upon plans for a 50-bed treatment unit for COVID-19 patients …
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The U.S. government has rapidly mobilized unprecedented resources to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, both at home and abroad. The United States has made available nearly $274 million in emergency health and humanitarian funding. Along with the U.S. private sector, the American people continue to lead in responding to this pandemic. The $274 million will …
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Iran recently observed the 41st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. The lack of enthusiasm among ordinary Iranians is no mystery. The revolution has failed to deliver the just and prosperous society that Ruhollah Khomeini promised the Iranian people in 1979. Today, the revolution belongs primarily to the regime’s hypocritical elite. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s Setad hedge fund, worth tens of …
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U.S. innovators are rushing to combat the new coronavirus, with vaccines already in development and new treatment options being tested in the United States and Asia. The rapid response received a boost this month as President Trump signed into law $8.3 billion in federal funds to fight COVID-19. The funding is helping federal agencies and their private-sector partners to quickly …
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Iran needs to be essentially blacklisted from participating in the international financial system after the regime’s refusal to implement restrictions against terrorist financing, an international watchdog group said February 21. The Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) had given Iran’s regime a February deadline to enact restrictions against money laundering and terrorist financing. But the …
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“I also want to call attention to the Iranian regime’s misinformation campaign surrounding the origination of the Wuhan virus. Instead of focusing on the needs of the Iranian people and accepting genuine offers of support, senior Iranians lied about the Wuhan virus outbreak for weeks.” The Iranian leadership is trying to avoid responsibility for their …
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This past week, the IAEA issued two reports that the Islamic Republic of Iran is hiding nuclear material – its nuclear material and nuclear activities. Iran is party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Iran’s safeguard agreements under that treaty require it to declare nuclear material to the IAEA and provide the IAEA inspectors with full …
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The Iranian regime has been jamming radio and TV signals across Iran since 2003. The scale to which the regime conducts jamming is so intense that even the Health Ministry and parliament officials openly confessed about its significant health risks. “Side effects of satellite jamming signals could lead to miscarriage and birth defects” said the Health …
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Today, the United States designated five members of Iran’s Guardian Council and its Elections Supervision Committee who have played a role in denying Iranians their right to free and fair elections. This includes Ahmad Jannati, the Secretary of the Guardian Council, who has in the past praised the killing of political dissidents and previously called …
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The Iranian regime has yet again taken measures to damage Iran’s economy further. Iran has only a few days left to comply with the commitments it made to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). Otherwise, FATF’s countermeasures could be re-imposed on Iran. Based in Paris, France, FATF is an intergovernmental organization founded in 1989 on …
Read More» The United States calls on Iran to fulfill its commitments to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and adhere to the FATF’s anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism standards that protect the international financial system from illicit finance. Iran should be treated like any other nation. Nearly every country in the world has …
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The Iranian regime uses satellite launches to develop its ballistic missile capabilities. The technologies used to launch satellites into orbit are virtually identical and interchangeable with those used in longer range systems, including intercontinental ballistic missiles. Each launch, whether failed or not, further allows Iran to gain experience using such technologies that could benefit its …
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Elections in the Islamic Republic of Iran have become such a mockery that even Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is decrying blatant election-rigging in upcoming Iranian elections. The regime’s Guardian Council, an unelected supervisory board, recently disqualified more than half of the 14,000 candidates vying for seats in Iran’s February 21 parliamentary elections. “These elections are …
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One in 4 of Iran’s most educated citizens leave their country when given the opportunity. They leave in search of greater social and religious freedoms and for better employment opportunities. “People are selling their computers, rugs, phones and jewelry to collect money” to leave the country, a travel agent in Tehran told the Wall Street …
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Iranian authorities arrested and imprisoned at least 1.7 million of their own people in the Tehran area over the past four decades, and many were executed, a 2019 report says. Among them: more than 5,700 members of the Baha’i religious minority and at least 860 journalists and citizen-journalists, according to Reporters Without Borders. The …
Read More» دهم ژانویه 2020 بیانیه ی وزیر امور خارجه ی ایالات متحده امروز، ایالات متحده در واکنش به حملات ایران به نیروها و منافع آمریکایی، و با هدف محروم کردن رژیم ایران از درآمد لازم برای اجرای سیاست خارجی خشونت آمیز خود، اقدام هایی انجام می دهد. ما همچنان افراد حقیقی و حقوقی را که در …
Read More» دهم ژانویه 2020 بیانیه ی دونالد ترامپ رئیس جمهوری آمریکا پیرامون فرمان اِعمال تحریم ها بر بخش های دیگر ایران امروز من رژیم ایران را در برابر حمله به کارکنان و منافع ایالات متحده مسئول می شناسم. در این راستا، رژیم ایران را از درآمد چشمگیری که ممکن است ایران برای تامین هزینه و …
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