WASHINGTON: The US Treasury said on Friday it removed sanctions on three Iranians but said this did not reflect a change in its sanctions policy toward Iran and had nothing to do with talks on restoring US and Iranian compliance with the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
The Treasury said it had determined Behzad Ferdows, Mehrzad Ferdows and Mohammad Reza Dezfulian are no longer blocked under Executive Order 13382, which targets proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and their supporters.
The order froze their US assets and barred US persons from dealing with them. All three were also subject to secondary sanctions, meaning non-US persons who dealt with them risked themselves being sanctioned and cut off from the US market.
Erich Ferrari, an attorney who represented the three in a lawsuit against the Treasury arguing there was “insufficient basis” for their designation, said “there was a dismissal of the claims.” He declined to comment further.
A Treasury spokesperson stressed that the US decision to drop the three from its list of Specially Designated Nationals who are subject to certain US sanctions had nothing to do with indirect talks on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
“These delistings do not reflect any change in US government sanctions policy toward Iran. They have nothing to do with ongoing JCPOA negotiations in Vienna,” the spokesperson said on condition of anonymity.
Iran and the United States have been holding indirect talks in Vienna on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers that imposed restrictions on Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for lifting international sanctions.
US drops sanctions on three Iranians, says move unrelated to nuclear talks
https://arab.news/4bzwn
US drops sanctions on three Iranians, says move unrelated to nuclear talks
- A Treasury spokesperson stressed that the US decision to drop the three from its list had nothing to do with indirect talks on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal
Trump asks Netanyahu to change West Bank policy
- US President, his team raise settler violence, financial instability of PA, Israeli settlements’ expansion
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump and his top advisers asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to change Israel’s policies in the occupied West Bank during their meeting according to a US official and another source, both with direct knowledge, Axios said.
Home to 2.7 million Palestinians, the West Bank has long been at the heart of plans for a future Palestinian state alongside Israel.
According to the US official, the White House thinks a violent escalation in the West Bank would undermine efforts to implement the Gaza peace agreement and prevent the expansion of the Abraham Accords before the end of Trump’s term.
Trump and his team expressed concern about the situation in the West Bank and asked Netanyahu to avoid provocative steps and “calm things down,” the sources said.
The president and his team raised settler violence against Palestinian civilians, the financial instability of the Palestinian Authority, and Israeli settlements expansion, the sources said.
The US message was that changing course in the West Bank is critical to repair Israel’s relations with European countries and, hopefully, expand the Abraham Accords. “Netanyahu spoke very strongly against settler violence and said he is going to take more action,” the source with knowledge said.
