President Biden’s Remarks at the State Department

U.S. Department of State Headquarters Harry S. Truman Building Washington, D.C. THE PRESIDENT:  Mr. Secretary, it’s great to be here with you.  And I’ve been looking forward a long time to be able to call you “Mr. Secretary.” Good afternoon, everyone.  It’s an honor to be back at the State Department under the eyes of ... Read More»

New Sanctions Under the Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Act (INKSNA)

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 ... Read More»

United States Sanctions Iranian Energy Institutions Supporting the IRGC-QF

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 ... Read More»

United States Designates Senior Iranian Official in Iraq

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»

Status of UN Arms Embargo on Iran

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 ... Read More»

Major New Human Rights-Related Listings and Accompanying Sanctions on Iran

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 ... Read More»

Statement by the President Regarding New Restrictions on Iran

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 ... Read More»

The United States Imposes Sweeping New Sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran

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 ... Read More»

The Return of UN Sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran

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 ... Read More»

Secretary Pompeo: “France Should Stand with Freedom, Not Tehran”

“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 ... Read More»

Secretary’s Remarks on Iran Sanctions Renewal

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 ... Read More»

Fact Sheet: Iran’s Assassinations and Terrorist Activity Abroad

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 ... Read More»

Keeping the World Safe from Iran’s Nuclear Program

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, ... Read More»

Secretary Pompeo: Iran’s Space Program Is Dangerous, Not Peaceful

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 ... Read More»

China’s Repression of Muslims In Xinjiang

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 ... Read More»

Iran’s Sanction Relief Scam

· Iran’s slick foreign influence campaign to obtain sanctions relief is not intended for the relief or health of the Iranian people but to raise funds for its terror operations. · Since 2012, the regime has spent over $16 billion to fund its terror proxies abroad while Iranian healthcare services have remained woefully underfunded. This ... Read More»

Iran’s Regime Refuses Virus Aid, Slighting Its People

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 ... Read More»

US Humanitarian Assistance To The World

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 ... Read More»

Iran’s Regime a Threat to International Financial System, Group Says

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 ... Read More»

Secretary Pompeo’s Remarks on Iran and IAEA

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 ... Read More»

The Iranian Regime Continues Jamming Foreign Mediums

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 ... Read More»

Secretary Pompeo: The Iranian People Deserve Free and Fair Elections

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 ... Read More»

41 Years of Failure: Will the Iranian Regime Comply with FATF?

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»

A Comparison of Women’s Voting Rights in the US and Iran Before Iran’s 11th Majles Elections

Following a tough and lengthy struggle, American women gained the right to vote in 1920, when Congress ratified the 19th amendment to the US Constitution. Iranian women did not obtain this right easily, either. They earned voting rights in 1963, on the heels of 56 years of protest and persistence. Three women in particular, were ... Read More»

Statement by Secretary Pompeo on Iran and FATF

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 ... Read More»

Iran’s Failed Space Launch

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 ... Read More»

Bypassing regime, U.S. delivers lifesaving medicine to Iranians

The U.S. is ensuring that cancer drugs and other lifesaving medicines reach Iranian patients, part of a broader push to support everyday Iranians and bypass the Iranian regime’s systemic corruption and financial mismanagement. The channel, developed in cooperation with the Swiss government, has already delivered at least 180,000 packages of medicine to Iran. “Iranian cancer ... Read More»

Iran has jailed 1.7 million in Tehran region, report says

  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»

Statement by the Press Secretary on Iran Protests

THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary January 10, 2018 Statement by the Press Secretary on Iran Protests The Trump Administration is deeply concerned by reports that the Iranian regime has imprisoned thousands of ‎Iranian citizens in the past week for engaging in peaceful protests.  Further reports that the regime has tortured or killed ... Read More»

REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP ON IRAN STRATEGY

THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary October 13, 2017 REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP ON IRAN STRATEGY      THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much.  My fellow Americans:  As President of the United States, my highest obligation is to ensure the safety and security of the American people. History has shown that the longer we ignore ... Read More»

Excerpts of The International Religious Freedom Report of 2016

The penal code specifies the death sentence for proselytizing and attempts by non-Muslims to convert Muslims, as well as for moharebeh (“enmity against God”) and sabb al-nabi(“insulting the prophet”). The law prohibits Muslim citizens from changing or renouncing their religious beliefs. … “Within the limits of the law,” the constitution states Zoroastrians, Jews, and Christians (excluding converts from ... Read More»

White House Statement on American Citizens Unjustly Detained in Iran

THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary July 21, 2017 Statement on American Citizens Unjustly Detained in Iran President Donald J. Trump and his Administration are redoubling efforts to bring home all Americans unjustly detained abroad.  The United States condemns hostage takers and nations that continue to take hostages and detain our citizens without ... Read More»

The State Department’s 2017 Trafficking in Person Report, Iran portion

IRAN: TIER 3 The Government of Iran does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; therefore, Iran remained on Tier 3. Despite the lack of significant efforts, the government took some steps to address trafficking, including operating some centers where trafficking victims ... Read More»

U.S. State Department Issues Report on Human Rights Sanctions on Iran

May 17, 2017 U.S. State Department Issues Report on Human Rights Sanctions on Iran Highlights Iran’s Continuing Human Rights Abuses The State Department released today its semi-annual report to Congress detailing sanctions imposed on persons involved in human rights abuses in Iran. The report cites recent sanctions against the Tehran Prisons Organization and Sohrab Soleimani, ... Read More»

Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Act Sanctions

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE Office of the Spokesperson MEDIA NOTE March 24, 2017 Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Act Sanctions On March 21, the United States imposed sanctions on 30 foreign entities and individuals in 10 countries pursuant to the Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Act (INKSNA).  These sanctions apply to the specific ... Read More»

Statement by National Security Advisor Michael T. Flynn on Iran

THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary February 3, 2017 Statement by National Security Advisor Michael T. Flynn on Iran Today, the United States sanctioned twenty-five individuals and entities that provide support to Iran’s ballistic missile program and to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force. The Islamic Republic of Iran is the world’s ... Read More»

Statement by Mark Toner on the Sentencing of Siamak and Baquer Namazi

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE STATEMENT BY MARK TONER, DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON October 18, 2016 The Sentencing of Siamak and Baquer Namazi We are deeply concerned about reports that U.S. citizens Siamak Namazi and Baquer Namazi have each been sentenced to 10 years in prison. Siamak Namazi has been unjustly detained in Iran for over a year. ... Read More»

Yes, we have a brand new website

Yes, we have a brand new website! Have a look around! The new-look website has seven sections representing broad topics that may be of interest to you. The sections are broken down further into sub-categories to assist you in finding specific information. The Seven Sections are: Visas – For all your Visa needs and questions. U.S. Citizen Services – ... Read More»

Iran Was Pioneer in Wetland Conservation in 1971

By Louise Fenner | Staff Writer Washington — Iran can be proud of the role it played in the creation of the first international agreement to preserve the world’s wetlands, says an American wildlife conservationist whose research in Iran in the late 1960s helped draw attention to the importance of Iran’s wetlands habitat. “There was ... Read More»
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