Photo taken on May 21, 2020 shows the U.S. Treasury Department building in Washington D.C., the United States.(Photo: Xinhua)

 
The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions against an Iranian official and a university for their roles in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF).

The Treasury Department said in a statement that it had designated Hasan Irlu, Iran's envoy to Yemen's Houthis rebels and an official of IRGC-QF, and Al-Mustafa International University.

The statement alleged Al-Mustafa International University was used as a recruitment platform by the IRGC-QF for intelligence collection and operations.

The Treasury also blacklisted Iran-based Pakistani national Yousef Ali Muraj, who was accused of being involved in the IRGC-QF's efforts to coordinate, plan and execute operations in the Middle East and the United States.

According to the statement, all property and interests of the property of targeted entity and individuals in the United States have been blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from transactions with them. In addition, any foreign financial institution that facilitates a significant transaction with them could be subject to sanctions.

The United States in October sanctioned Iran's ambassador to Iraq Iraj Masjedi for "acting for or on behalf of the IRGC-QF." U.S. State Department designated the IRGC-QF as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in April 2019.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last month threatened that Washington would impose more sanctions against Iran in the coming weeks and months.

In May 2018, U.S. President Donald Trump pulled his country out of the Iranian nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and reimposed harsh sanctions against Iran. In response, Tehran has gradually dropped some of its JCPOA commitments since May 2019.