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Biden Administration Imposes First Iran Sanctions

Blinken said the US turned to the Human Rights Council in Geneva to outline its “concerns about the abuses the Iranian government continues to perpetrate against its citizens.” AFP
Blinken said the US turned to the Human Rights Council in Geneva to outline its “concerns about the abuses the Iranian government continues to perpetrate against its citizens.” AFP
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Biden Administration Imposes First Iran Sanctions

Blinken said the US turned to the Human Rights Council in Geneva to outline its “concerns about the abuses the Iranian government continues to perpetrate against its citizens.” AFP
Blinken said the US turned to the Human Rights Council in Geneva to outline its “concerns about the abuses the Iranian government continues to perpetrate against its citizens.” AFP

The State Department blacklisted on Tuesday two Iranian government officials and barred them and their immediate family members from entering the United States, in what appeared to be the first such action against Tehran under the Joe Biden administration.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement the US turned to the Human Rights Council in Geneva to outline its “concerns about the abuses the Iranian government continues to perpetrate against its citizens.”

He announced the designation of Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) interrogators Ali Hemmatian and Masoud Safdari for their involvement in gross violations of human rights, namely the torture and/or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (CIDTP) of political prisoners and persons detained during protests in 2019 and 2020 in Iran.

The statement said these individuals and their immediate family members are ineligible for entry into the US.

“We will continue to consider all appropriate tools to impose costs on those responsible for human rights violations and abuses in Iran,” the Secretary of State said, adding that Washington will also work with its allies to promote accountability for such violations and abuses.

“The United States will continue to support the rights of people in Iran and demand the Iranian government treat its people with respect and dignity,” Blinken noted.

The Biden administration chose to take the action despite its efforts to coax Iran into negotiations over the 2015 Iran nuclear deal that former President Donald Trump withdrew from in 2018, dramatically increasing tensions with Tehran.

The sanctions came amid a rare move by 140 lawmakers urging the Biden administration on Tuesday to seek a "comprehensive" deal with Iran that addresses not just its nuclear program, but a range of other national security issues.

A letter sent to Blinken Tuesday and signed by 70 Republican and 70 Democratic House members, called for an agreement or set of agreements that reinstate limits on Iran's nuclear program, curtail its ballistic missile program, and address its “malign behavior” throughout the Middle East.

"We're encouraging the administration to look at how do you bring Democrats and Republicans together around an issue that should unify us, and that is addressing the risk presented by Iran," said Representative Anthony Brown, who helped organize Democratic signatures.

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Large Earthquake Hits Battered Vanuatu

A vehicle is trapped beneath a collapsed building following a strong earthquake in Port Vila, Vanuatu, December 17, 2024, in this screengrab taken from a social media video. Jeremy Ellison/via Reuters
A vehicle is trapped beneath a collapsed building following a strong earthquake in Port Vila, Vanuatu, December 17, 2024, in this screengrab taken from a social media video. Jeremy Ellison/via Reuters
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Large Earthquake Hits Battered Vanuatu

A vehicle is trapped beneath a collapsed building following a strong earthquake in Port Vila, Vanuatu, December 17, 2024, in this screengrab taken from a social media video. Jeremy Ellison/via Reuters
A vehicle is trapped beneath a collapsed building following a strong earthquake in Port Vila, Vanuatu, December 17, 2024, in this screengrab taken from a social media video. Jeremy Ellison/via Reuters

A magnitude-6.1 earthquake rattled buildings on Vanuatu's main island early Sunday but did not appear to have caused major damage, five days after a more powerful quake wreaked havoc and killed 12 people.

The nation's most populous island, Efate, is still reeling from the deadly 7.3-magnitude temblor on Tuesday, which toppled concrete buildings and set off landslides in and around the capital of Port Vila.

The latest quake occurred at a depth of 40 kilometers (25 miles) and was located some 30 kilometers west of the capital, which has been shaken by a string of aftershocks.

No tsunami alerts were triggered when the temblor struck at 2:30 am Sunday (1530 GMT Saturday).

Port Vila businessman Michael Thompson told AFP the quake woke his family.

"It gave a better bit of a shake and the windows rattled a little bit, it would have caused houses to rattle," he said.

"But you know, no movement other than a few inches either way, really. Whereas the main quake, you would have had like a meter and a half movement of the property very, very rapidly and suddenly.

"I'd describe this one as one of the bigger aftershocks, and we've had a fair few of them now."

Thompson said there was no sign of further damage in his immediate vicinity.

The death toll remained at 12, according to government figures relayed late Saturday by the United Nations' humanitarian affairs office.

It said 210 injuries had been registered while 1,698 people have been temporarily displaced, citing Vanuatu disaster management officials.

Mobile networks remained knocked out, making outside contact with Vanuatu difficult and complicating aid efforts.

In addition to disrupting communications, the first quake damaged water supplies and halted operations at the capital's main shipping port.

The South Pacific nation declared a seven-day state of emergency and a night curfew following the first quake.

It announced Saturday it would lift a suspension on commercial flights in an effort to restart its vital tourism industry.

The first were scheduled to arrive on Sunday.

Rescuers Friday said they had expanded their search for trapped survivors to "numerous places of collapse" beyond the capital.

- Still searching -

Australia and New Zealand this week dispatched more than 100 personnel, along with rescue gear, dogs and aid supplies, to help hunt for trapped survivors and make emergency repairs.

There were "several major collapse sites where buildings are fully pancaked", Australia's rescue team leader Douglas May said in a video update on Friday.

"We're now starting to spread out to see whether there's further people trapped and further damage. And we've found numerous places of collapse east and west out of the city."

Thompson said power had been restored to his home on Saturday but said many others were still waiting.

"We're hearing a lot of the major businesses are still down, supermarkets are trying to open back up," he said.

"So this is very different to what's happened with disasters here in the past.

"Cyclones destroy everything outside, whereas earthquakes really destroy a lot of infrastructure inside the buildings."

Vanuatu, an archipelago of some 320,000 inhabitants, sits in the Pacific's quake-prone Ring of Fire.

Tourism accounts for about a third of the country's economy, according to the Australia-Pacific Islands Business Council.