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Will the U.S. Continue to Enforce Non-Nuclear Sanctions on Iran?

(Foundation for Defense of Democracies) Mark Dubowitz - Iran is engaged in a robust effort to legitimize its financial sector despite a decades-long rap sheet of financial crimes and illicit financial activities that it shows no sign of curbing. The nuclear deal did nothing to address the full range of Iran's other illicit activities, including ballistic missile development, support for terrorism, regional destabilization, and human rights abuses. When President Rouhani was elected in June 2013, there was a widespread assumption that he would shepherd in an era of greater freedoms in Iran. Yet, domestic repression has intensified. During last summer's congressional review period for the nuclear deal, Obama administration officials pledged that the U.S. would continue to enforce non-nuclear sanctions and oppose the full range of Iran's illicit and dangerous activities. Congress should hold the administration to its commitments. Sanctions need to target Iran's support for terrorism, ballistic missile program, support for the Assad regime in Syria and designated Shi'ite militias in Iraq, and human rights abuses. These steps are not a violation of the Iran deal (JCPOA), but rather an affirmation of stated U.S. policy to "oppose Iran's destabilizing policies with every national security tool available." Iran has not addressed the underlying behavior that prompted U.S. sanctions. The writer is executive director of FDD. This is from his congressional testimony on May 23, 2016.
2016-05-25 00:00:00
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