US announces new Iran sanctions as prisoner swap looms

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

67% : Biden came into office in early 2021 on a promise to revive the Iran nuclear accord, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
52% : US President Joe Biden also paid tribute to Amini on Friday, saying that she inspired a “historic movement” of people demanding gender equality and respect for human rights in Iran and around the world.
48% : Washington, DC – The United States has imposed sanctions on dozens of Iranian officials and entities accused of being involved in the “violent suppression” of anti-government protests that followed the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody in Tehran last year.
43% : Iran has denied attacking peaceful protesters and described the demonstrations as foreign-backed riots.
43% : Iran, which has denied seeking a nuclear weapon, has escalated its nuclear programme since the JCPOA fell apart.
42% : The sanctions, which targeted top security officials and state-affiliated media outlets on Friday, came as the US and Iran are expected to exchange prisoners as early as next week as part of a newly announced deal.
42% : However, US officials have stressed that the funds are Iran’s own, saying that Washington’s policies towards Tehran will not change.
39% : “In the face of continued oppression and violence, the citizens of Iran remain committed to this movement and to their fight for a free and democratic future,” Biden said in a statement.
37% : Iran has denied Amini was beaten or mistreated in detention.
35% : The incident sparked weeks-long demonstrations across Iran that were met with a harsh crackdown by security forces.
32% : “As we approach one year since Mahsa Amini’s tragic and senseless death in the custody of Iran’s so-called ‘Morality Police,’ we recall that the movement of men and women across Iran … was met with horrific violence,” US Treasury official Brian Nelson said in a statement.
32% : The agreement will see Iran release five imprisoned US citizens in exchange for Washington allowing Tehran to access $6bn in Iranian funds frozen in South Korea under US sanctions for humanitarian purposes.
27% : The Biden administration’s move also signals that the US will push on with its sanctions policy against Iran despite the looming prisoner swap deal.
23% : The deal has faced mounting criticism from Republican legislators who have accused the Biden administration of handing Iran $6bn.
16% : The US and Iran have seen heightened tensions since 2018, when former US President Donald Trump nixed a multilateral deal that saw Tehran scale back its nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of sanctions against its economy.
13% : But as several rounds of indirect negotiations failed to restore the pact, Washington continued to enforce its sanctions regime against Tehran and piled on more penalties. JCPOA talks were eventually put on hold, and attempts to revive them were complicated by the crackdown on antigovernment protesters in Iran as well as accusations that Tehran was providing Moscow with drones for use in Ukraine.

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