5/10/2018

IRAN/SANCTIONS/TREASURY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday [5-10-18] levied sanctions against several Iranian firms, individuals and officials it said are operating an illegal currency-exchange network in the United Arab Emirates, and accused Iran’s central bank of being complicit in operations that funneled dollars into the country for Iran’s elite military unit, the Quds Force, and Tehran’s regional proxies. The action, the first since President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the landmark nuclear deal with Iran and Washington began reimposing economic sanctions against Tehran, is a step toward cutting off the Middle Eastern country’s access to U.S. dollars and signals the administration is intent on enforcing compliance of its new Iran policy around the world…Three firms and six Iranians who either worked for the firms or the Quds Force have been blacklisted by the Treasury Department and U.A.E.’s government in a joint action.”

-Ian Talley, “U.S. Raises Pressure on Iran With Sanctions on Currency Exchange,” The Wall Street Journal, May 10, 2018 1:33 pm