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White House announces new sanctions on Iran US issues $20 million reward for American missing in Iran
(about 1 hour later)
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is sanctioning members of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s inner circle. WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Monday offered a reward of up to $20 million for information about Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent who disappeared in Iran in 2007, and imposed new sanctions on leading Iranian officials as relations deteriorated further on the 40th anniversary of the U.S. Embassy takeover.
Separately, the administration is issuing an up to $20 million reward for information about missing former FBI agent Robert Levinson. He disappeared in Iran in 2007 but the Iranian government has never acknowledged arresting him. The reward for help solving the Levinson disappearance and the sanctions also come as Iran said it was doubling the number of advanced centrifuges it operates to produce nuclear fuel, trimming the time experts believe that the Islamic Republic would need to have enough material to build a nuclear weapon.
Senior administration officials announced the new steps against Iran on Monday as the country marks the anniversary of the U.S. Embassy takeover 40 years ago. The officials spoke only on condition of anonymity according to White House policy. The State Department claims Levinson was taken hostage in Iran with the involvement of the Iranian regime. The Iranian government has never acknowledged arresting him. Combined with a $5 million reward already in place from the FBI, this makes a total of $25 million available to the person or persons providing information about Levinson.
Also Monday, Iran said it was doubling the number of advanced centrifuges it operations, further trimming the time experts estimate Tehran needs to have enough material to build a nuclear weapon. “This is the 40th anniversary of the day in 1979 when 52 Americans were taken hostage and held for 444 days,” Levinson’s family said in a statement released after the new reward was announced. “Bob Levinson has been held more than 10 times longer — for 4,624 days. Bob Levinson must come home, and Iran’s hostage-taking as government policy must end.”
The senior officials used the anniversary to call on Tehran to release all missing and wrongfully detained Americans, including Levinson, Xiyue Wang, Siamak Namazi and others.
The Treasury Department said it took action against nine individuals to block funds from flowing to a shadow network of Khamenei’s military and foreign affairs advisers who are suspected of oppressing the Iranian people and supporting militants.
The sanctions target individuals in Khamenei’s office, the armed forces and the judiciary. Two of them have been linked to the 1983 U.S. Marine barrack bombing in Beirut that killed 241 U.S. personnel and the 1994 bombing of Argentine Israelite Mutual Association.
Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.