On July 18, 2017, for the fifth time in President Trump's brief six months in office, his Administration added still more Iranians to the US list of Specially Designated Nationals (SDNs).
According to a Treasury Department press release:
These sanctions target procurement of advanced military hardware, such as fast attack boats and unmanned aerial vehicles, and send a strong signal that the United States cannot and will not tolerate Iran's provocative and destabilizing behavior. We will continue to target the IRGC and pressure Iran to cease its ballistic missile program and malign activities in the region.
The additional SDN designations follow by only one day a notification made by the Trump Administration to Congress that Iran is continuing to comply with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), pursuant to which, in January 2016, the US lifted its nuclear-related sanctions on Iran. However, the US has not agreed – under the JCPOA or otherwise – to lift or refrain from imposing other types of sanctions.
Iran-related designations made by the Trump Administration have been made under sanctions targeting transnational criminal organizations, terrorism, ballistic missile activity, and human rights abuses.
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