The Treasury Department expanded its sanctions campaign against Iran on Tuesday, targeting at least 36 firms and individuals accused of aiding Mahan, the country’s national airline, under an initiative officials call Operation Economic Outcast. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a post on X that anyone assisting the airline would face “severe consequences.”
The new measures follow last Friday’s Treasury action against Golden Global Bank, a Turkey-based institution the department said was providing Iran a “critical financial lifeline.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded Tuesday with a pointed message on social media, criticizing the sanctions-first approach to U.S.-Iran relations.
After 47 years of sanctions, the US went to war with Iran on behalf of Israel. The fallout has been disastrous for America, including its standing worldwide. After failing to achieve its aims through sanctions or war, Washington’s “novel” solution is…more sanctions. Seriously?
The sanctions news came the same day the Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen launched strikes on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, prompting Saudi retaliatory strikes on Tuesday.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, traveling in South America, addressed the fighting and said the administration is tracking the situation closely, including recent ground battles between the Houthis and Yemeni forces.
The Houthis, in many ways, are agents and proxies of the Iranians. I think behind some of this is clearly the Iranian hand. The U.S. has a very strong defensive military relationship with Saudi Arabia, and we’re watching those events very closely. It’s been going on for some time. I think there’s been some ground operations as well, where Yemeni forces are taking on the Houthis and pushing back against some of the ground advances that they attempted to make. And we’re monitoring that, as I said, very, very closely.
Rubio added that he did not expect the Department of War to make any announcements on the matter that day regarding further U.S. involvement.
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