The United States announced that it will maintain its “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran, revealing that the Treasury designated Iran’s largest petrochemical holding group, Persian Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company a designated foreign terrorist organization and WMD proliferator.
State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said: “We intend to target any company in the petrochemicals sector or elsewhere that provides financial support to it. The maximum pressure campaign continues and will continue.”
The designation also targeted Persian Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company’s network of 39 subsidiary petrochemical companies and sales agents for supporting the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps.
“There is no daylight between us and our allies on the objective of denying Iran the ability to ever acquire a nuclear weapon,” Ortagus continued, noting that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will be paying a visit to Iran this week.
“We also agree about the threat of Iran’s ballistic missile program, its terrorist activities, and human rights abuses,” she told a press briefing.
Iran has threatened to violate some of the nuclear deal’s key restrictions and Monday Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif threatened the US that it cannot expect to stay safe because of the maximum pressure campaign, she remarked.
“Making threats, using nuclear blackmail, and terrorizing other nations is typical behavior for the revolutionary regime in Tehran.”
“Tomorrow they will probably threaten once again to close the Strait of Hormuz. We aren’t impressed. Iran faces a simple choice. It can either behave like a normal nation or watch its economy crumble,” she warned.
“Iran’s recent threat to cease performing key nuclear commitments under the nuclear deal is a big step in the wrong direction and it underscores the continuing challenge Iran poses to international peace and security.”
“The international community must remain united on this issue and hold the Iranian regime accountable for its threats to expand its nuclear program. We will hold Iran accountable for any actions against our people and our interests, regardless of whether they come from Iran or from its proxies,” Ortagus vowed.
“The only solution is a newer better – a new and better deal that addresses the full scope of Iran’s threats. Those threats form the basis of the 12 demands,” she added, reiterating that President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo “stand ready to talk”.
