The US Treasury imposed new sanctions on the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) for their role in malicious cyber acts.
The Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned ten individuals and two entities for their roles in conducting malicious cyber acts, including ransomware activity.
The Treasury said, in a statement, that the individuals and entities designated are all affiliated with the IRGC.
Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said the ransomware actors and other cybercriminals, regardless of their national origin or base of operations, have targeted businesses and critical infrastructure across the board, directly threatening the physical security and economy of the United States and other nations.
"We will continue to take coordination action with our global partners to combat and deter ransomware threats, including those associated with the IRGC," said Nelson.
This is the second set of sanctions imposed by the US Treasury within a week after it sanctioned Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) and its Minister of Intelligence, Esmail Khatib, based on accusations in connection with a cyber-attack in July on Albania.
Meanwhile, the Special Envoy for Iran, Rob Malley, briefed Congress about the status of the nuclear negotiations.
The session was closed to the public, so committee members could not express their dissatisfaction, but several expressed their anger over Malley's performance.
Since his appointment by US President Joe Biden, the envoy faced severe criticism from several lawmakers.
Recent media leaks showed increased frustration with Malley, and an Israeli official claimed the envoy now has a limited role in the negotiations, and the US decision to return to the agreement is out of his control.
The administration was quick to deny this information, asserting that Malley is the special envoy for Iran and still very much in charge of the team and the US' efforts.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price asserted there is nothing to those reports.
"I can tell you Rob is deeply engaged day to day on the substance of this. He is leading a team here at the department," said Price.
The spokesman asserted that Malley is regularly engaging with counterparts at the White House, the Treasury Department, the Intelligence Community, and elsewhere regarding the efforts to achieve a joint return to compliance with the deal and Washington's contingency planning.
The administration may have a stern defense to back its envoy, but it does not mitigate the implications of the Israeli media leaks.
Congressional sources confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that Israeli officials are contacting prominent Senate and House of Representatives members to coordinate their rejection to return to the nuclear agreement.
The Israeli Mossad head, David Barnea, was forced, during his recent visit to Washington, to cancel his testimony before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence to evade any crisis with the White House, according to a committee source.
The sources stated that some officials did not support Malley's appointment when the US first launched its efforts to return to the agreement, and events proved their position was correct.
The Foreign Affairs Committee presented a draft resolution criticizing the administration on the same day of Malley's testimony. This proves the growing opposition to the envoy and the administration's approach to dealing with the negotiations.
The proposed draft calls on the US President to hand over to Congress any documents related to the negotiations and inform it of any initiative or negotiations regarding Iran's nuclear program.
According to the text of the proposed resolution, "the President is requested to transmit to the House of Representatives not later than 14 days after the date of the adoption of this resolution, copies of any document, memorandum, or other communication in his possession, or any portion thereof, that refers or relates to any initiative or negotiations regarding Iran's nuclear program."
The draft resolution reflects the dissatisfaction of bipartisan members of Congress with the lack of any coordination with them in this file and their fear that Biden will seek to bypass them if an agreement is reached, as former President Barak Obama did.
