The Biden administration on Tuesday issued its first sanctions against Iran amid its continued efforts to revive the Iran nuclear deal.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced sanctions on two Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps interrogators, Ali Hemmatian and Masoud Safdari.
They are penalised for “their involvement in gross violations of human rights, namely the torture and/or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment of political prisoners and persons detained during protests in 2019 and 2020 in Iran", Mr Blinken said.
The sanctions bar Mr Hemmatian and Mr Safdari from entering the US.
Mr 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, including the unjust detention of far too many in deplorable conditions".
“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,” he said.
While the designations are much more focused than the broad sanctions the administration of former US president Donald Trump imposed on Tehran, they come as President Joe Biden seeks to re-enter the nuclear deal signed by Iran and world powers.
But Mr Biden said the US will lift the economic sanctions on Iran only if Tehran returns to compliance with the 2015 accord, which it began to breach after Mr Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018.
A group of 140 bipartisan members of the US House of Representatives sent a letter to Mr Blinken on Tuesday calling on the Biden administration as part of its nuclear diplomacy to address Tehran's ballistic missile programme, regional proxies and cyber attacks.
Mr Biden said he intends to pursue follow-up agreements with Iran on issues such as ballistic missiles and regional proxies after reviving the nuclear deal.
The US administration has yet to repeal any of Mr Trump's sanctions on Iran, but the new president reversed his predecessor's position at the UN on snapback sanctions embedded in the nuclear deal.
But those UN sanctions never went into effect.
The Trump administration failed to initiate the snapback last year after the Security Council said the US had no authority to bring them back because Washington withdrew from the nuclear deal.
Meanwhile, Mr Blinken on Tuesday marked the 14th anniversary of the disappearance of Robert Levinson, a CIA contractor who was last seen on Iran’s Kish Island in 2007.
The US accuses Iran of abducting Mr Levinson and says he died in Iranian custody – charges Tehran denies.
“We call on the Iranian government to provide credible answers to what happened to Bob Levinson and to immediately and safely release all US citizens who are unjustly held captive in Iran,” Mr Blinken said.
“The abhorrent act of unjust detentions for political gains must cease immediately.”
The Trump administration in December imposed sanctions on Mohammad Baseri and Ahmad Khazai, two senior officials in Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security, accusing them of authorising Mr Levinson's abduction.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The%20Roundup
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Janet Yellen's Firsts
- In 2014, she became the first woman to lead the US Federal Reserve
- In 1999, she became the first female chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Teams in the EHL
White Bears, Al Ain Theebs, Dubai Mighty Camels, Abu Dhabi Storms, Abu Dhabi Scorpions and Vipers
The bio
Favourite food: Japanese
Favourite car: Lamborghini
Favourite hobby: Football
Favourite quote: If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough
Favourite country: UAE
MATCH INFO
Austria 2
Hinteregger (53'), Schopf (69')
Germany 1
Ozil (11')
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Profile of VoucherSkout
Date of launch: November 2016
Founder: David Tobias
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers
Sector: Technology
Size: 18 employees
Stage: Embarking on a Series A round to raise $5 million in the first quarter of 2019 with a 20 per cent stake
Investors: Seed round was self-funded with “millions of dollars”
Company%20profile
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Fixtures
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
