US issues fresh Iran sanctions, targets Evin prison

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The United States on Wednesday imposed new sanctions on six Iranians and three Iran-based entities, including Tehran's Evin prison.

It was the latest round of sanctions imposed by the Trump administration on Iran following the US withdrawal from the landmark Iran nuclear deal earlier this month.

"Treasury is taking action to hold the Iranian regime accountable for ongoing human rights abuses, censorship, and other despicable acts it commits against its own citizens," said US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in a statement.

US President Donald Trump signs a proclamation declaring his intention to withdraw from the JCPOA Iran nuclear agreement in the Diplomatic Room at the White House in Washington, US May 8, 2018. /VCG Photo‍

The sanctions would freeze any assets that a blacklisted person or entity holds under US jurisdiction and ban any US individual or company from making business deals with them.

The United States exited the Iran nuclear deal in early May and began re-imposing US sanctions that had been lifted under the deal.Here is a collection of responses to the sanctions from across the world.

France: US Iran strategy reinforces conservatives, endangers region

The US decision to scrap the Iran nuclear deal and implement a tough strategy on the country will strengthen Tehran’s hardliners and endanger the region as a whole, France’s foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on May 23.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani holds a press conference on Trump's withdrawal decision from Iran nuclear deal in Tehran, Iran on May 8, 2018. /VCG Photo

“We disagree with the method because this collection of sanctions, which will be set up against Iran, will not enable dialogue and on the contrary it will reinforce the conservatives and weaken President (Hassan) Rouhani. This posture risks endangering the region more,” Le Drian told France Inter radio.

Iranian President Rouhani says Iran will remain in JCPOA without US

President Hassan Rouhani said on May 9 that Iran would remain committed to a multinational nuclear deal despite US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the 2015 agreement designed to deny Tehran the ability to build nuclear weapons.

“If we achieve the deal’s goals in cooperation with other members of the deal, it will remain in place... By exiting the deal, America has officially undermined its commitment to an international treaty,” Rouhani said in a televised speech.

Iranian demonstrators burn representations of the US flag during a protest in front of the former US Embassy on May 9, 2018 in Tehran, Iran. /VCG Photo

IAEA: Iran still implementing commitments under nuclear deal

Iran is continuing to implement its nuclear commitments under a deal with major powers, the UN atomic watchdog policing the deal said on May 9, a day after US President Donald Trump said Washington was pulling out of the accord.

“Iran is subject to the world’s most robust nuclear verification regime under the JCPOA, which is a significant verification gain,” International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Yukiya Amano said in a statement, using the deal’s official name, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

China expects the agreement to remain intact and be treated seriously

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said last month it expected the agreement to remain intact and be treated seriously. "China calls for all related parties to strengthen dialogue and coordination" over the deal, spokesperson for the ministry Hua Chunying said during a press briefing on April 27.