US Treasury Department Sanctions Two Iranians for ‘Supporting Taliban’
The United States sanctioned two Iranian citizens affiliated with the overseas branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Saudi Arabia and Bahrain also announced sanctioning measures against the IRGC and several of its commanders, prompting reactions from IRGC officials.
The US Treasury Department sanctioned eight individuals, including two Iranians affiliated with the IRGC’s Quds Force, on charges of supporting the Taliban terrorist group in Afghanistan. In a statement published on its website, the department stated: “The United States and our partners will not tolerate the Iranian regime’s approach to exploiting Afghanistan to advance its destabilizing behaviors.”
Two Pakistani citizens and four Afghan citizens are among the other sanctioned individuals.
According to the US Treasury Department announcement, these individuals are “Taliban key figures” sanctioned in coordination with the United States’ cooperation with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
The US Treasury Department recently added Mubarak Steel Industries of Isfahan, Tabriz Tractor Manufacturing Company, and 20 financial companies and institutions affiliated with the Basij Cooperative Foundation to the US sanctions list.
Saudi Arabia and Bahrain Sanction IRGC and Soleimani
On Tuesday, November 1st (October 24), Saudi Arabia and Bahrain also added the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, its overseas branch commander Qasem Soleimani, as well as Abdolreza Shahlai and Hamed Abdollahi to their lists of terrorist individuals and organizations.
In 2011, in connection with the “plot to assassinate Saudi Arabia’s ambassador in the US,” Hamed Abdollahi, a senior IRGC Quds Force officer, was identified as allegedly involved in designing the “assassination operation.” Abdolreza Shahlai was identified as a deputy of the Quds Force and Qasem Soleimani, overseeing the implementation of operations. At that time, the United States, Canada, and the European Union added these individuals to their sanctions lists.
Reactions from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
The parliamentary deputy of the IRGC assessed Saudi Arabia and Bahrain’s action as “an attempt to rescue themselves from the Khashoggi assassination quagmire.” Commander Mohammad Saleh Jokar also referred to conditions in Yemen and Syria, describing the aforementioned action as “a psychological operation in the region” and an attempt at “diverting public opinion.”
Furthermore, Commander Ismail Kosari, former member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly and successor to the “Tharallah Operations Command” of the IRGC, similarly characterized Saudi Arabia and Bahrain’s action as “a forward retreat to save Saudi Arabia from the quagmire it has fallen into.”
Source: DW
