US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has targeted Iran’s defense ministry and others said to be involved in its alleged nuclear weapons program, piling on threats after the US restoration of “snapback” sanctions at the weekend.
The top US diplomat also leveled sanctions at Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro during a press conference on Monday, declaring the proliferation of economic punishments a “warning that should be heard worldwide.” Countries that declined to obey the US prohibition on arms trading were also threatened with sanctions.
Pompeo’s announcement came just days after the US declared “snapback” UN sanctions on Iran to be reimposed under the JCPOA nuclear deal, which Washington actually pulled out of in 2018 and whose other signatories have argued it has no say in enforcing anymore.
The state secretary defended the US’ “maximum pressure” policy against Iran, insisting it had saved “countless” lives while “keeping a channel open for humanitarian assistance” - a claim Tehran has repeatedly denounced as unfounded, as vital medical supplies were blocked from reaching Iranian hospitals during the height of the country’s coronavirus pandemic.
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