Sanctions against Iran

The United States has reimposed punitive measures targeting the Iranian oil and financial sectors in what US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called "the toughest sanctions ever placed" against Iran.

Iran's top leader said on Saturday U.S. President Donald Trump's policies face opposition across the world as Washington prepared to reimpose sanctions on Iran's vital oil-exporting and financial sectors, state television reported.

Turkey has conveyed to the U.S. that its sanctions on Iran that will come into effect on Nov. 4 is "unilateral," Turkish foreign minister said on Oct. 24.

The Trump administration is actively considering waivers on sanctions it will reimpose next month for countries that are reducing their imports of Iranian oil, a U.S. government official said on Oct. 5.

The United Nations' highest court has ordered the United States to lift sanctions on Iran that affect imports of humanitarian goods and products and services linked to the safety of civil aviation.

Five world powers and Iran agreed late on Sept. 24 to establish a financial facility in the European Union to facilitate payments for Iranian imports and exports including oil, a key move sought by Tehran following the U.S. pullout from the 2015 nuclear deal and its re-imposition of sanctions.

Turkish-Iranian businessman Reza Zarrab, who was arrested in the U.S. in 2016 over evading sanctions on Iran, has been spotted in New York City while leaving an upscale downtown hotel.

Turkish-Iranian businessman Reza Zarrab, who was arrested in the U.S. in 2016 over evading sanctions on Iran, has been photographed at a famous sushi restaurant in New York. 

The United States' sanctions on Iran, Russia and Turkey make a strong point for the three countries to expand political and economic cooperation, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei said Sept. 8.

A U.S. law firm hired by Turkey to look into state-owned Halkbank's dealings with Iran found that it did not violate U.S. sanctions, Turkey's treasury and finance minister told Reuters, and Ankara does not expect the bank to face any fine.