Trump Signs Executive Order Delivering ‘Hard-Hitting’ Sanctions Against Iran

President Trump struck back Monday at Iran by issuing “hard-hitting” financial sanctions against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his associates.

“Today’s action follows a series of aggressive behaviors by the Iranian regime in recent weeks including shooting down a U.S. drone,” the president said in the Oval Office, calling Khamenei “responsible for the hostile conduct of the regime.”

Trump said the sanctions “will deny the supreme leader and the supreme leader’s office and those closely affiliated with him and the office access to key financial resources and support.” Speaking to reporters in the White House briefing room Monday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the sanctions “lock up literally billions of dollars more of assets.”

“Along with that action today, we are also announcing specific actions targeting those responsible for recent activities,” Mnuchin said, adding that the president has instructed him to sanction Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif “later this week.”

The Treasury Department, in a news release, said “any foreign financial institution that knowingly facilitates a significant financial transaction for entities designated under this Executive Order could be cut off from the U.S. financial system.”

Police search for pink costumed suspect in Virginia

Media Pushes New Pandemic – CBS News Rolls Out Fear Campaign Over Ebola Outbreak with ‘No Vaccine, No Treatment’

Jeanine Pirro Threatens Parents After Wild Teens Create Disturbing Scene in D.C. Restaurant

Pelosi intervenes in Democratic race to succeed her

Michigan Senate hopeful courting progressives entertains Iron Dome for Palestinians

Civil liberty advocates sue blue state over ‘show your papers’ gun law

Retired Austin cop tears into leftist city council for stripping police of key tools before shooting rampage

Trump Says He Canceled 11th-Hour Iran Bombing at Request of Saudi Leaders Amid New Peace Talks

Supreme Court Bluntly Swats Down Virginia Dems’ Power Grab

DHS, War Dept join probe into Singham network allegedly sowing discord in US

New York’s ‘wrong-headed’ defendant-friendly laws helped toss Mangione evidence: retired cop

‘Unelected mayor of DC’: Trump continues Washington makeover despite backlash

Los Angeles School District Pivots Away from Denying Equal Treatment to Student Bible Club

Blue-state tax burden fuels Americans fleeing to Republican-led southern states

Poland seeks answers after Pentagon scraps planned US armored brigade rotation

Amid the newly announced sanctions, Fox News has confirmed that the U.S. military also carried out a cyberattack against Iran last Thursday even as the president nixed plans for airstrikes in response to the downing of an American drone.

Sources said U.S. Cyber Command launched the cyberattack targeting the Iranian intelligence and radar installations used to down the U.S. Navy drone last week.

Fox News has learned Iran shut off some of its military radar sites around the time the U.S. was poised to launch retaliatory strikes. It’s not clear if those radar sites were turned off by the cyberattack or if Iran shut them off deliberately in anticipation of this.

Yahoo! News first reported on the retaliatory cyber strike. It came as the White House and Pentagon were also considering military strikes, but Trump revealed last Friday that he called them off after learning up to 150 Iranians could be killed.