On October 16, 2018, OFAC announced sanctions “against a vast network of businesses providing financial support to the Basij Resistance Force (Basij), a parliamentary force subordinate to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).” According to OFAC, the Basij militia recruits, trains and deploys child soldiers to fight in IRGC conflicts across the region. Bonyad Taavon Basij, an Iran-based network, is comprised of … Continue Reading
On 13 October, President Trump announced the results of his administration’s review of the US’ Iran policy, indicating at the same time that he would not “certify” to Iran’s compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) agreement. Since President Trump took office, he has “certified” to Iran’s compliance twice, so this is the first time that he did … Continue Reading
On 25 May, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 18-3 to pass S. 722, the Countering Iran’s Destabilizing Activities Act of 2017 (CIDA Act). If enacted, the CIDA Act would create new sanctions against Iran with respect to ballistic missiles and the sale of prohibited arms. The sanctions measures in the CIDA Act are ostensibly … Continue Reading
In response to recent ballistic missile testing activities by the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Trump administration, on 3 February 2017, issued its first economic sanctions, adding 13 individuals and 12 entities to the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) list of specially designated nationals and blocked persons. The designations were made under counter-proliferation and … Continue Reading
