Washington
CNN
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The US slapped new sanctions Thursday on 16 individuals and two entities related to Iran’s drone program because it seems to punish Tehran for last weekend’s attack on Israel.
The sanctions goal executives of an engine producer that provides Iran’s Shahad-131 drones, which have been utilized in the onslaught, in addition to corporations that service the engines and people related to offering the drones to Iranian proxy forces all through the Center East.
The Treasury Division additionally stated it was punishing 5 corporations related to Iran’s metal trade and three subsidiaries of an Iranian automaker.
The brand new sanctions, which have been coordinated with European allies, are an effort to chop off provides to Iran’s missile and drone program and to isolate the nation on the worldwide stage.
However they’re additionally a signal to Israel from america and its prime allies that countering Iran’s newest aggression doesn’t essentially require a army response.
“We’re utilizing Treasury’s financial instruments to degrade and disrupt key features of Iran’s malign exercise, together with its (unmanned aerial automobile) program and the income the regime generates to assist its terrorism,” stated Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. “We are going to proceed to deploy our sanctions authority to counter Iran with additional actions within the days and weeks forward.”
“Our actions make it tougher and costlier at each flip for Iran to proceed its destabilizing conduct,” she stated.
Over the weekend, Iran launched greater than 300 missiles and drones towards Israel in a retaliatory assault for an Israeli airstrike on a diplomatic compound in Damascus that killed senior Iranian army officers. Israel, with the assistance of america and different regional international locations, intercepted most of the incoming fire.
After the assault, President Joe Biden consulted with fellow Group of seven leaders to sentence the assault and develop a diplomatic response, together with creating new sanctions.
Biden and different leaders have referred to as on Israel to train restraint following the weekend assault, hoping to prevent a wider regional conflict. The US and different international locations have stated the profitable interception of the Iranian barrage was ample demonstration of Israel’s army superiority.
Israel, nonetheless, has not but stated the way it will reply. The nation’s struggle cupboard has met periodically this week with out saying any definitive motion.
In a telephone name on Saturday night, Biden instructed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the US wouldn’t take part in offensive motion towards Iran. As a substitute, the White Home has been clear it supposed to take financial motion towards Tehran as punishment for the unprecedented assault on Israel.
Thursday’s actions will increase what’s already some of the stringent regime of US sanctions. The US has lengthy sought to squeeze Iranian officers and industries as a strategy to punish the regime for human rights abuses and to stop it from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
Earlier this week, Yellen didn’t rule out making use of sanctions on Iranian oil exports. Doing so may danger the potential of upper gasoline costs and of angering China, a prime purchaser of Iranian oil.