The US Treasury Department announced the imposition of new sanctions on the Iranian financial sector today, Thursday, including 18 major banks in Iran, which Tehran described as a "conspiracy to starve a people" and a "crime against humanity."
Washington is stepping up pressure on Tehran weeks before the US elections.
When announcing the sanctions on its website, the US Treasury Department also said that it considered the financial sector of the Iranian economy to be subject to Executive Order 13902, and the statement indicated that these sanctions do not apply to transactions of basic agricultural commodities, food, medicine and medical devices.
US Treasury Secretary Stephen Mnuchin said in a statement that imposing these sanctions on these banks reflects the US commitment to stop illegal access to the US dollar.
Mnuchin added that those involved in certain operations with entities under sanctions, after a 45-day hiatus, may be subject to secondary penalties or enforcement actions.
Amid Covid19 pandemic, US regime wants to blow up our remaining channels to pay for food & medicine.
Iranians WILL survive this latest of cruelties.
But conspiring to starve a population is a crime against humanity.
Culprits & enablers — who block our money — WILL face justice.
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- Javad Zarif (@JZarif) October 8, 2020
For his part, Iranian Foreign Minister Muhammad Javad Zarif said in a tweet on his official account via Twitter, that in light of the Corona pandemic, the new US sanctions aim to blow up Iran's remaining channels of payment for food and medicine.
Zarif emphasized that what he described as "conspiracy to starve a people" is nothing but a crime against humanity, and that those who stand behind the financial sanctions will face justice.