Washington has imposed new sanctions on the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and the Russian FSB internal security services, accusing them of “taking hostage” Americans including the journalist from the wall street journal arrested last month in Russia.
The United States “shows that it is not acceptable to resort to this despicable behavior of using human beings as pawns, bargaining chips, without paying the consequences”, said a senior official undercover of anonymity.
Both entities have already been subject to sanctions by the US State Department and Treasury.
These additional penalties are intended to “hold the culprits accountable, and thereby prevent a new round of such cases from occurring in the first place”, the official stressed.
Russian security services arrested Evan Gershkovich, 31, a correspondent for the prestigious American daily, at the end of March. Wall Street Journal, for “espionage” while on assignment in Ekaterinburg, in the Urals.
The Kremlin claims that he was arrested in “flagrante delicto” “of espionage”, without advancing any evidence, the file being classified secret. He is notably accused of having collected information on the defense industry.
Evan Gershkovich, his family, his employer and the American authorities categorically reject these accusations, punishable by 20 years in prison, accusing Moscow of attacking him in a completely unfounded way.
Washington is thus seeking to obtain his release as well as that of Paul Whelan, a former American soldier arrested in Russia in 2018 and sentenced to 16 years in prison for “espionage”, despite his denials.
Last year during a prisoner exchange with Moscow, Washington succeeded in securing the release of American basketball player Brittney Griner, detained for drug trafficking in Russia, against that of arms trafficker Viktor Bout, imprisoned in the United States. United.
At least three Iranian-Americans are being held in Iran, including businessman Siamak Namazi.