U.S. unleashes new batch of sanctions after updated executive order

The U.S. Treasury Department Tuesday imposed a new batch of sanctions on individuals and entities which it said were affiliated with terror groups, after a new executive order lowered the threshold for sanctions.

The U.S. Treasury Department building at dusk, Thursday, June 6, 2019, in Washington. [File Photo: IC]

"Today, Treasury sanctioned over two dozen individuals and entities from 11 terrorist groups. Specifically, we have leaders, operatives, and financiers from over 11 terror organizations, including Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Qods-Force (IRGC-QF), Hamas, ISIS, al Qaeda, and their affiliates," U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin told a press briefing at the White House.

According to a statement released by the department, among the sanctioned are Muhammad Sa'id Izadi, listed as a leader or official of the IRGC-QF and Zaher Jabarin, listed as a leader or official of the Islamic Movement of Hamas, as well as several exchange houses.

The slew of sanctions came after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order called "Modernizing Sanctions to Combat Terrorism," which updated and consolidated previous executive orders to expand the criteria for imposing sanctions.

"Today's executive order marks the most significant update to counterterrorism sanctions authority since September of 2001," U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said at the press briefing.

John Bolton was scheduled to appear in the press briefing alongside Pompeo and Mnuchin as the U.S. national security advisor, but he was abruptly fired shortly before the briefing.