The Trump administration on Wednesday imposed additional sanctions on Iran as part of sprawling measures Economic pressure campaign During the war, this time the country was targeted A newly created agency attempts to control shipping Through the Strait of Hormuz.
The sanctions were announced late Wednesday afterward American forces carried out strikes on an Iranian military facility after shooting down Iranian drones, according to US officials who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The sanctions move, first reported by The Associated Press, is the latest U.S. effort to use economic leverage in addition to military action. Pushing the Iranian leadership to an agreement To end the war and open the waterway through which a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas usually passes. President Donald Trump said an agreement was imminent, but talks were continuing.
High energy prices and other costs resulting from Effective shutdown of Iran Political pressure has increased on Trump and other Republicans ahead of the midterm congressional elections.
“The Iranian military’s recent attempt to extort global maritime trade is evidence that economic anger has left the regime desperate for cash,” Treasury Secretary Scott Besent said in a statement.
The sanctions target Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority and any person or entity cooperating with the agency, as announced earlier this month. He agrees to transit in the strait and charges a fee Which can reach up to $2 million per vessel.
Iran’s powerful paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has defended the oversight effort, saying the only safe way to cross the vital waterway is through it. The lane you selected They say any ships that deviate from this path face a series of attacks and dangers.
This has caused Iran’s tightening restrictions on the Strait Energy shocks around the world It came after the United States and Israel launched war on February 28. Prices for oil, gas and related products have risen, and experts say it will take several weeks or even months for shipping and prices to recover once the waterway reopens.
In turn, the United States did Blockade of Iranian ports For more than a month, Trump said it “will remain in effect until an agreement is reached, ratified, and signed.”
The latest economic sanctions come as Washington and Tehran engage in some of the most intense diplomacy and negotiations in years, aiming to end the war and find a path to a long-term solution to the issues between the longtime adversaries.
Trump said on Wednesday that Iran was “negotiating on fumes” and said the two sides were close to reaching an agreement even after the agreement. The US military said on Monday that it carried out the strikes “in self-defense.” On missile launching sites and boats laying mines. Wednesday’s strikes are likely to cause further complications.
“They very much want to reach an agreement,” Trump said at a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday. “So far, they haven’t gotten there. We’re not happy with that, but we will be — either that or we’ll have to finish the job.”
The Republican president also repeated his warning that fighting would resume if an agreement was not reached, but he has backed away from those threats several times now in the past few months.