U.S. imposes sanctions on Iranian military

PanARMENIAN.Net - The United States hit two senior Iranian military officials with travel and financial sanctions Tuesday, December 13, and moved closer to a compromise with Congress over tough new sanctions against Iran's Central Bank that Washington worries could have unintended consequences, The Associated Press reports.

Citing their roles in alleged human rights abuses, the Treasury Department added the chairman of Iran's joint chiefs of staff, the country's most senior military officer, and the deputy commander of the hardline Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to a U.S. blacklist. The move freezes any assets they may have in the U.S., although it is unlikely they have any such assets, and bars Americans from doing business with them. The State Department also barred the two men from entering the United States.

Hassan Firouzabadi, the joint chiefs chairman, and Abdollah Araqi were accused of wrongdoing in the crackdown on protesters and mistreatment of detainees after Iran's disputed 2009 elections. The sanctions may have little direct effect since the U.S. and Iran have no military ties and few financial or commercial ones.

But the administration appeared to be moving closer to endorsing legislation that could hurt Iran far more.

Congress pressed ahead Monday evening with a massive $662 billion defense bill that includes an amendment directing the administration to target foreign financial institutions that do business with the Iranian Central Bank in Tehran. The pressure comes amid heightened concern over Iran's nuclear program and links to alleged terrorist plots.