According to a statement by the US Treasury, the US "will not hesitate to target those who support Iran's ballistic missile program." Though the move is likely to complicate ongoing negotiations with Iran, Washington continues to insist on "Iran's full return" to the conditions of the nuclear deal from which the US unilaterally withdrew under President Donald Trump in 2018.
The US Treasury added that Washington “will also work with other partners in the region to hold Iran accountable for its actions,” before describing actions such as Iranian strikes on an alleged Mossad facility as “gross violations of the sovereignty of its neighbors.”
The US also justified the move with claims that Yemeni strikes against a Saudi Aramco facility this month were “Iranian enabled."
But despite repeated escalations in the unilateral sanctions regime imposed on Iran by Washington, Iran’s crude oil exports have reportedly increased by an astonishing 40% since August.
EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell’s recent suggestion that a resolution to negotiations could come “within days” is now looking increasingly tenuous, as Borrell now insists that issues such as “the status of the Revolutionary Guard in Iran" are preventing an agreement from being reached.
With the Iranian government continuing to label the US classification of the IRGC as a terrorist organization a ‘red line,’ it remains to be seen whether the apparent impasse can be overcome.