The United States, alongside the UK, has imposed sanctions on four individuals in Iran for their involvement with the US-designated terrorist organization al-Ashtar Brigades, according to a statement from the Treasury Department released on Tuesday.
These sanctions were enacted with the cooperation of Bahrain’s government and accuse the targeted individuals of providing significant support, whether financial, material, or technological, to al-Ashtar Brigades.
Brian Nelson, the US under secretary of the Treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence, emphasized the joint commitment to thwarting Iran’s destabilizing activities, particularly those that endanger regional partners and global security.
The US has been actively countering Iran’s influence in the Middle East by targeting its affiliated groups. Al-Ashtar Brigades was designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the US in 2018.
Bahrain also took legal action against numerous individuals involved in terrorism-related activities that same year. Some of these individuals fled to Iran to evade prosecution, where they found sanctuary, as Iran has a history of harboring and supporting terrorist groups.
Recent tensions between Washington and Tehran have escalated due to disagreements over the Gaza conflict’s ramifications in the region.
Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have disrupted commercial shipping in the Red Sea, prompting US retaliatory strikes against them.
