The Biden administration on Thursday sanctioned Russia’s Federal Security Service and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps intelligence services, accusing them of illegally detaining Americans.
Alongside the sanctions, President Biden also announced new measures to punish and deter countries that unjustly hold Americans hostage.
“Today, and every day, our message to Russia, Iran, and the world is that it is unacceptable to hold Americans hostage or hold them unlawfully. Release them immediately.
“Today, I am proud to announce that my Administration will for the first time introduce new tools to impose severe economic costs on governments and groups that hold Americans hostage or illegally detain them around the world. increase.”
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President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol hold a joint press conference at the White House in Washington, D.C., USA, April 26, 2023. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
“Since the first day of my administration, we have made the safe return of Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad. Many of them were detained even before I took office. “And yet too many people are suffering and being separated from their loved ones. This includes Americans who remain unjustly detained elsewhere, and we will continue to work tirelessly to maintain the trust of them and their families and to seek new ways to bring them back. Until we are successful, we will go home and make sure this doesn’t happen to other families in the future.”
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovic stands in a glass cage during a courtroom at the Moscow City Court in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, April 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlyanichenko)
In a statement, Biden said financial pressure should be put on violating nations to discourage them from imprisoning Americans and expedite their release.
“Today, the Departments of State and Treasury announced the first ever U.S. government sanctions against actors involved in the unjust detention of Americans,” the president said. “These sanctions against four individuals and two security agencies in Russia and Iran mean that all property and interests of the designees owned or controlled by U.S. persons are now blocked. These measures to keep these actors out of the legitimate financial system take advantage of the executive order I issued last summer, itself, built upon the Hostage Recovery and Hostage Responsibility Act of 2020. This law was passed thanks in large part to the perseverance of the family and many others who have worked in this community to turn pain into purpose.”
Officials did not specify which Americans were detained and specifically backing the economic retaliation. Instead, they said the sanctions followed a pattern of behavior by both countries that unduly restrains Americans.
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The US Treasury said Iranian authorities often detain and interrogate detainees and that Tehran “plays a direct role in suppressing protests and apprehending dissidents, including dual citizens.”
Thursday’s sanctions came well before the arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovic in Russia last month, according to senior government officials.
Former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan arrested on espionage charges in a courtroom at the Moscow City Court in Moscow, Russia, June 15, 2020. (Sofia Sandurskaya, Moscow news agency photo via AP)
Gerszkovic’s imprisonment was swiftly and officially deemed unjustified by the U.S. government. Russia has also imprisoned American Paul Whelan.
In addition to the actions the Biden administration is taking against both countries, the government has announced additional sanctions against four IRGC leaders accused of being involved in hostage-taking efforts.
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Last year, Biden issued an executive order giving the president the power to impose sanctions on those he believes are involved in the unjust detention of Americans.
The executive order’s authority is based on the section of the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act, named after the FBI agent who disappeared in Iran 15 years ago and was later presumed dead. was granted.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
