US Eyes Allied Sanctions on Iran, State Dept. Nominee Says
The Trump administration plans to build international support for using sanctions to counter Iran’s nuclear weapons program, deputy secretary of state nominee Christopher Landau said March 4.
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“Certainly, the State Department will do everything we can … to work with other countries around the world to make sure that they’re not just U.S. sanctions on Iran,” the former U.S. ambassador to Mexico testified at a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “We should generally make it clear to our allies that if you want to be our allies, let’s try to identify and work together on issues that we all care about in different parts of the world, and Iran is certainly one of those.”
Landau, who was responding to questioning by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said he agrees with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., Trump’s nominee for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, who have advocated for triggering the snapback of United Nations sanctions on Iran (see 2501230056). Those sanctions would include export controls, asset freezes and other restrictions on those involved in Iran's nuclear and missile activities (see 2502130062).
Cruz praised Landau's comments. Asked later whether he intends to introduce Iran sanctions legislation, as he has done in the past (see 2403250060), the senator told Export Compliance Daily that there is “significant authority” under existing law for the U.S. to sanction Iran and invoke U.N. snapback sanctions. “So my principal focus right now is working closely with the administration to use the authority that already exists,” he said.
Trump ordered U.S. agencies in early February to increase sanctions against Iran as part of a “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran (see 2502050020). Later that month, the U.S. sanctioned a network moving Iranian oil to China (see 2502060014), as well as more than 30 people, entities and ships helping to sell and move Iranian petroleum products (see 2502240019).