On his last day, Iran places symbolic sanctions on Trump for alleged ‘terrorism’
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and CIA chief Gina Haspel also targeted by Tehran for alleged roles in assassinations of Iranian officials
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran on Tuesday imposed sanctions on US President Donald Trump and a number of members of his administration over their alleged role in support of “terrorism,” according to its foreign ministry website.
Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said that besides Trump, sanctions were imposed on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, CIA chief Gina Haspel and six other ranking US officials.
The foreign ministry did not say what kind of sanctions were imposed.
From time to time, Iran imposes symbolic sanctions on US officials. Tuesday’s announcement comes on Trump’s last full day in office.
Khatibzadeh said the sanctions were based on Iranian law. He said they were the result of the Trump administration’s role in killing top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in 2020 and its support for Israel in its conflict with the Palestinians. Soleimani headed the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which the US designates as a terrorist organization.
He also cited the US’s alleged role in the killing of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh in December and its alleged role in the “criminal war” in Yemen. Israel and the US regarded Fakhrizadeh as the key figure behind Iran’s rogue nuclear weapons program.
In December, Iran imposed sanctions on the US ambassador in Yemen for his alleged role in support of airstrikes conducted by the Saudi-led coalition against Iran-backed Yemeni rebels known as Houthis.