US State Department Report on Iran Human Rights Sanctions
The US State Department on Wednesday evening released a report on US sanctions against individuals involved in human rights violations in Iran, which it sent to Congress.
The report, the text of which was published on the US State Department website, refers to the recent sanctions on the Tehran Prisons Organization and its former director, Sohrab Soleimani.
"As we carefully review Iran's compliance with the JCPOA and develop a comprehensive Iran policy, we are taking new steps to hold Iran accountable for human rights violations," the Acting Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs said in the report.
Stuart Jones continued, "We call on our partners around the world to join the United States in this effort and warn individuals and entities that violate international sanctions against Iran in the field of human rights."
He pointed out that the Iranian government has violated the rights of its own people and citizens of other countries on numerous occasions over the past few decades, and said that this pattern of behavior by the Islamic Republic must end.
According to Mr. Jones, the United States and its allies will continue to apply pressure on Tehran to defend the rights of the Iranian people and foreign nationals there, including American citizens who have been unjustly imprisoned or missing.
The report also concludes by mentioning the actions of the Treasury Department under President Trump last month to sanction certain individuals involved in human rights violations in Iran.
The State Department report comes at the same time as the Treasury Department's announcement Wednesday of sanctions on seven other individuals in Iran and China who have helped Iran's ballistic missile program.
The publication of the State Department report and the Treasury Department statement comes as the US government extended the suspension of Iran's nuclear sanctions on Wednesday in line with the implementation of the JCPOA and the verification of Iran's compliance with it by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Source: Voice of America
