Morgan Ortagus, Department Spokesperson
Secretary Pompeo is continuing restrictions on the Iranian regime’s nuclear program. This decision will help preserve oversight of Iran’s civil nuclear program, reduce proliferation risks, constrain Iran’s ability to shorten its “breakout time” to a nuclear weapon, and prevent the regime from reconstituting sites for proliferation-sensitive purposes.
Concurrently, the Secretary made two determinations with sanctions implications pursuant to Section 1245 of the Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act of 2012 (IFCA): one identifying the construction sector of Iran as being controlled directly or indirectly by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC); and one identifying four strategic materials as being used in connection with Iran’s nuclear, military, or ballistic missile programs. With these determinations, the United States will have additional authorities to prevent Iran from acquiring strategic materials for the IRGC, its construction sector, and its proliferation programs.
The United States is resolute in its commitment to negotiating enduring restrictions that deny Iran any pathway to a nuclear weapon and to using the full range of our diplomatic and economic tools to constrain Iran’s destabilizing proliferation activities. As long as the Iranian regime continues to reject diplomacy and to expand its nuclear program, the economic pressure and diplomatic isolation will intensify.