On June 24, 2019, President Trump issued Executive Order 13876 imposing sanctions on the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ali Husseini Khamenei and the Supreme Leader’s Office, and authorizing sanctions on others associated with the Supreme Leader.
Today, the United States designated the Iranian regime’s Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, who has acted on behalf of the Supreme Leader.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry is not merely the diplomatic arm of the Islamic Republic but also a means of advancing many of the Supreme Leader’s destabilizing policies. Foreign Minister Zarif and the Foreign Ministry he runs take their direction from the Supreme Leader and his office. Foreign Minister Zarif is a key enabler of Ayatollah Khamenei’s policies throughout the region and around the world. The designation of Javad Zarif today reflects this reality.
This action represents another step toward denying the Iranian regime the resources to enable terror and oppress the Iranian people. Instead of using Iran’s precious resources to invest in the brave and rightfully proud people of Iran, the Iranian regime facilitates and supports terrorism, jails and tortures innocent Iranians, fuels foreign conflicts in Syria and Yemen, and, in recent weeks, has expanded its nuclear program. Foreign Minister Zarif, a senior regime official and apologist, has for years now been complicit in these malign activities.
The United States continues to seek a diplomatic solution that addresses the Iranian regime’s destructive behavior. The only path forward is a comprehensive deal that addresses the full range of its threats. Until then, our campaign of diplomatic isolation and maximum economic pressure will continue.
