Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in the statement, “The United States will continue to hold accountable Iranian officials and institutions that oppress and abuse their own people,”
In a separate statement US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said “His – and the regime’s – goal was to quash these peaceful protests and suppress the rights of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression at any cost,”
It is pertinent to mention that Tensions between Washington and Tehran have spiked since US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew in 2018 from the Iran nuclear deal struck by his predecessor, Barack Obama, and began reimposing sanctions that had been eased under the accord. The US has continued to apply new sanctions despite calls by United Nations officials and some governments around the world to temporarily suspend such penalties during the coronavirus pandemic.
On Tuesday this week, the Trump administration sanctioned Chinese-based Shanghai Saint Logistics, accusing the firm of acting on behalf of Iran’s Mahan Air – which is also on the US Treasury blacklist. Moreover it may also recalled that US has also U.S. government issued a new order barring Huawei and its suppliers from using U.S. technology and software.