Iran levies sanctions on 61 Americans as nuclear talk reach a stalemate

• Iran sanctions 61 Americans for their support of exiled dissident group Mujahideen-e-Khalq.
• Actions come as negotiations to restore a 2015 nuclear deal have stalled.
• Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Rudy Giuliani and John Bolton are on the sanctions list.

TEHRAN: Iran has imposed sanctions on an additional 61 Americans, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, for their support of an Iranian dissident group, Tehran announced on Saturday, as months of negotiations to restore a 2015 nuclear deal stalled.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has also put on its blacklist people who support the exiled dissident group Mujahideen-e-Khalq (MEK). These people include Trump’s former lawyer Rudy Giuliani and his national security adviser John Bolton.

The sanctions allow Iranian officials to grab any assets that hundreds of Americans retain in Iran.

The actions, announced as Democratic US President Joe Biden concluded his Middle East trip, are mostly symbolic.

Giuliani, Pompeo, and Bolton, all Republicans, have reportedly supported the MEK. Trump appointed Pompeo and Bolton.

In January, Iran sanctioned 51 Americans in April and another 24.

Indirect discussions between Iran and the United States to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement began in November in Vienna and continued in June in Qatar. However, the conversations have stalled for months.

Trump abandoned the deal in 2018 and reimposed harsh U.S. sanctions, prompting Iran to exceed the pact’s nuclear limitations.

The Biden administration vowed to help all Americans regardless of political or policy differences.

“The United States will protect and defend its citizens. This includes those serving the United States now and those who formerly served,” Saturday, a State Department spokeswoman said. “We are united in our resolve against threats and provocations, and we will work with our allies and partners to deter and respond to any attacks carried out by Iran.”

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