The US imposes sanction against Iran Atomic Agency and its chief Ali-Akbar Salehi

Last Thursday the U.S. Department of State announced the imposition of new sanctions against the Iranian regime’s Atomic Energy Organization, along with its Chief, Ali-Akbar Salehi. The sanctions, which were imposed in coordination with the U.S. Department of Treasury, were announced during the State Department’s daily press briefing.

Brian Hook, the U.S. special envoy for Iran, described the need for new sanctions in his briefing.

“The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran has played a big role in Iran breaching its key nuclear commitments.  It has exceeded the limits on its uranium stockpile and enrichment levels.  The head of AEOI personally inaugurated the installation of new, advanced centrifuges to expand its uranium enrichment capacity.  He also chaired a ceremony when Iran started injecting uranium gas into advanced IR-6 centrifuge machines,” said Ambassador Hook.

Hook also cited the Iranian regime’s failure to comply with the terms of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, saying: “Iran’s continued nuclear escalation underscores the serious challenge the Iranian regime poses to international peace and security.  We call on nations to oppose Iran’s nuclear extortion and to restore the United Nations Security Council standard of no enrichment for the Iranian regime.  That standard was abandoned under the Iran nuclear deal and it needs to be restored.”

Plundering of the Nation’s Wealth

Ambassador Hook underlined the fact that the Iranian regime spends its national wealth on the exportation of terrorism rather than the welfare of its citizens.  “A big part of our Iran strategy from the very beginning is standing with the Iranian people instead of standing with the regime,” said Hook. “The Iranian regime’s corruption and economic mismanagement frequently divert resources away from the Iranian people so it can finance warfare in the gray zone.  The victims are the Iranian people who don’t have sufficient access at times to medicines and medical devices.”

A large portion of the Iranian population is also unable to afford food or shelter. After recent flooding in Sistan-Baluchestan Province, many of those who did have homes saw them destroyed or damaged. The regime has failed to provide flood relief to these victims or the victims of last year’s deadly floods. It failed to maintain dams and drainage systems that would have prevented much of the damage from both floods as well, choosing instead to fund terrorist proxies in foreign countries.

Ineffective Strategy

The United States withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal, last year, saying that the deal was ineffective in curbing the regime’s malign behavior. It reimposed pre-2015 oil sanctions and restricted other countries from dealing with Iran using U.S. financial institutions, essentially grinding the regime’s oil exports to a halt. The regime responded by gradually stepping back from its commitments under the 2015 deal in an attempt to force the United States to lift the sanctions. This strategy has so far not been effective.

The Mujahedin-e Khalq (PMOI/MEK Iran) has repeatedly stressed that the Iranian regime cannot be trusted to honor the terms of a nuclear agreement. The MEK uncovered the regime’s secret nuclear program once before and revealed it to the world, leading to the pre-2015 sanctions. The mullahs will continue their efforts to build a nuclear weapon as long as they are in power.

The only way to end the regime’s nuclear threat is to end the regime itself, which the MEK stands ready to do. In the meantime, the international community can help contain the mullahs by adopting a firm policy in dealing with the Iranian regime. International leaders can also help by recognizing the right of the Iranian people to overthrow their oppressors.