FROM EIR DAILY ALERT

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Treasury Adds Fuel to Fire in Middle East; Imposes New Sanctions Against Iran

May 15, 2018 (EIRNS)—The U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions today against the Governor of Iran’s Central Bank, Valiollah Seif and the Assistant Director of the central bank’s International Department, Ali Tarzali, along with the chairman and CEO of an Iraqi bank (Aras Habib of Al-Bilad Islamic Bank) and Hezbollah’s Muhammad Qasir, designating them all Specially Designated Global Terrorists. The charge is that the four “covertly funded millions of dollars on behalf of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) to Hezbollah.”

The Treasury Department statement on the sanctions states that the sanctions do not extend to the Central Bank of Iran, per se, but it quotes Secretary Steve Mnuchin arrogantly stating that “the United States will not permit Iran’s increasingly brazen abuse of the international financial system.” The effect of the sanctions is extended internationally, through the infamous secondary sanctions, which target any foreign financial institution which handles transactions by the people named.

Treasury advised also that there will more sanctions to come, writing that as a consequence of President Trump’s withdrawal from the JCPOA,

“the United States government will re-impose sanctions that extend to certain transactions with the Central Bank of Iran, including sanctions on the purchase or acquisition of U.S. dollars banknotes by the government of Iran. Furthermore, on November 5, 2018, additional sanctions will be re-imposed on persons knowingly engaging in certain significant transactions with the Central Bank of Iran.”