US grants exemptions to new sanctions on IRGC
The Trump administration is granting major exemptions to new
sanctions on Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), AP reported.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo outlines the exemptions in
notices published in the Federal Register. A ban on travel to the US stemming
from the designation of the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization will not
apply to officials of foreign governments or businesses that have dealings with
the elite military unit or its subsidiaries.
The US designated the force as a terrorist organization
earlier this month.
US law authorizes authorities to bar entry to the US by
anyone found to have provided “material support” to a terrorist organization.
Pompeo says the waivers are in the interests of US national
security, but they are likely to frustrate members of Congress who favor tough
measures on Iran.