Iran Imposes Sanctions on 61 Americans

An Iranian flag flutters in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters in Vienna, Austria, September 9, 2019. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger
An Iranian flag flutters in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters in Vienna, Austria, September 9, 2019. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger
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Iran Imposes Sanctions on 61 Americans

An Iranian flag flutters in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters in Vienna, Austria, September 9, 2019. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger
An Iranian flag flutters in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters in Vienna, Austria, September 9, 2019. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger

Iran said on Saturday it had imposed sanctions on 61 more Americans, including former secretary of state Mike Pompeo, for backing an Iranian dissident group, as months of talks to revive a 2015 nuclear deal are at an impasse.

Others blacklisted by Iran's Foreign Ministry for voicing support for the exiled dissident group Mujahideen-e-Khalq (MEK) included former President Donald Trump's attorney Rudy Giuliani and former White House national security adviser John Bolton, Iranian state media reported.

The sanctions, issued against dozens of Americans in the past on various grounds, let Iranian authorities seize any assets they hold in Iran, but the apparent absence of such assets means the steps will likely be symbolic.

Giuliani, Pompeo and Bolton have been widely reported to have taken part in MEK events and voiced support for the group, Reuters said.

In January Iran imposed sanctions on 51 Americans, and it blacklisted 24 more Americans in April in its latest sanctions moves.

Iran's indirect talks with the United States on reviving the 2015 nuclear pact began in November in Vienna and continued in Qatar in June. But the negotiations have faced a months-long impasse.

In 2018, then-US President Trump abandoned the deal, calling it too soft on Iran, and reimposed harsh US sanctions, spurring Tehran to breach nuclear limits in the pact.



North Korea Condemns US Military Drills with South Korea, Japan

HANDOUT - 21 November 2024, North Korea, Pyongyang: A photo released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on 22 November 2024 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (C) attending the National Defence Development 2024 arms exhibition. Photo: -/kcna/dpa
HANDOUT - 21 November 2024, North Korea, Pyongyang: A photo released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on 22 November 2024 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (C) attending the National Defence Development 2024 arms exhibition. Photo: -/kcna/dpa
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North Korea Condemns US Military Drills with South Korea, Japan

HANDOUT - 21 November 2024, North Korea, Pyongyang: A photo released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on 22 November 2024 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (C) attending the National Defence Development 2024 arms exhibition. Photo: -/kcna/dpa
HANDOUT - 21 November 2024, North Korea, Pyongyang: A photo released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on 22 November 2024 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (C) attending the National Defence Development 2024 arms exhibition. Photo: -/kcna/dpa

North Korea condemned on Saturday recent joint military drills by the United States, South Korea and Japan, warning that it would take immediate actions if needed to defend the state.
Last week, the three countries held a three-day joint exercise, dubbed "Freedom Edge", featuring fighter jets and marine patrol aircraft as well as the US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, USS George Washington.
"We strongly warn the US and its followers hostile towards the DPRK to immediately stop the hostile acts of further causing provocation and instability that can drive the military confrontation in the Korean peninsula and its vicinity into a real armed conflict," the North's defense ministry said, using the country's official name.
The military would keep all options available and take immediate actions if needed to preemptively control risk, while closely watching military activity by the US and its allies, it said in a statement carried by state media KCNA.