US Announces New Sanctions on Iran’s Defense Ministry, Venezuela’s Maduro

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks next to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, and Defense Secretary Mark Esper, during a news conference to announce the Trump administration's restoration of sanctions on Iran, at the U.S. State Department in Washington, U.S., Sept. 21, 2020. Patrick Semansky/Pool via Reuters

The United States on Sept. 21 placed new sanctions on the Iranian defense ministry and others involved in Iran’s nuclear and weapons programs, saying that virtually all United Nations sanctions against the regime in Tehran prior to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal are now restored.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also announced sanctions against “the previous president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro” for cooperating with Iran to violate the arms embargo.