US imposes fresh sanctions on Iran over Albanian cyberattack

The Biden administration has imposed fresh sanctions on Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security over what it called "malign cyber activity," as the two nations battle to find a way back into the 2015 nuclear deal.

The United States Treasury Department stated on Friday that the penalties were in reaction to a cyberattack in July that damaged official websites in Albania and was attributed to Tehran by Washington and Tirana.

“Iran’s cyber attack against Albania disregards norms of responsible peacetime State behavior in cyberspace, which includes a norm on refraining from damaging critical infrastructure that provides services to the public,” Treasury official Brian Nelson said in a statement.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

“We will not tolerate Iran’s increasingly aggressive cyber activities targeting the United States or our allies and partners.”

Iran has deemed the claims that it was behind the event as "baseless," and the July cyberattack has led to a diplomatic crisis between Albania and Iran.

Iran considers Mujahedeen-e-Khalq (MEK) to be a "terrorist" organisation that intends to remove the Tehran government by force, while Albania, a NATO member, is where MEK is housed.

The sanctions on Friday, which also included Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib, were put in place a day after Washington imposed penalties on a number of Iranian businesses, alleging that they had a hand in the manufacture and transport of drones to Russia for the Ukraine War, as reported by Al Jazeera.

“The United States is committed to strictly enforcing our sanctions against both Russia and Iran and holding accountable Iran and those supporting Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine,” Nelson said on Thursday.

The targeted persons and businesses will have their assets in the US frozen as a result of the sanctions, and it will be forbidden for US citizens to conduct business with them.

Al Jazeera's request for comment on Friday was not immediately answered by Iran's UN mission.
Since former President Donald Trump removed the United States from the nuclear agreement in 2018, the US government has increased sanctions against Iran.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a multilateral agreement, saw Iran curtail its nuclear programme in return for the easing of international economic sanctions.

After the European Union produced a draught accord referred to as a "final text" last month, the pact's reinstatement seemed close.

The latest Iranian response, however, was rejected earlier this month as "not helpful" by US officials after Tehran and Washington exchanged remarks on the idea. Iran added that their response was "open" and appropriate in turn.

Any hope that the JCPOA could be revived before the US midterm elections in November has been dashed by the two parties' exchanging of blame.

Indirect nuclear negotiations between the US and Iran are being led by the US State Department, which on Friday applauded the sanctions against Tehran's Intelligence Ministry and pledged to "use all relevant instruments to prevent cyberattacks" against the US and its allies.

WATCH WION live here: