Jan 4, 2018 - World

Trump administration slaps new sanctions on Iran

Pictures of Ruhollah Khomeini and Hassan Rohani are stomped by the protesters in front of the embassy of Iran in Paris.Photo: Julien Mattia / NurPhoto via Getty Images

The U.S. Treasury Department announced today it's placing new sanctions against five Iranian entities over ties to the country's ballistic missile program and said that "additional sanctions targeting human rights abuses would be forthcoming."

Why it matters: The timing. In less than two weeks Trump will have to decide whether to waive economic sanctions as they relate to the the 2015 nuclear deal, which eased the sanctions in exchange for Iran backing off its nuclear weapons aspirations. Trump will also have to decide whether to re-certify the deal.

Go deeper: The move also comes amid Iranian citizens' backlash and protests against the government.

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Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 3 p.m. ET: 33,217,895 — Total deaths: 999,273 — Total recoveries: 22,975,269 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 3 p.m. ET: 7,128,774 — Total deaths: 204,881 — Total recoveries: 2,766,280 — Total tests: 101,298,794 — Map.
  3. States: Cuomo extends New York moratorium on evictions until 2021.
  4. Business: Companies are still holding back earnings guidance.
  5. Health: The childless vaccine — Why kids get less severe coronavirus infections.
  6. World: India the second country after U.S. to hit 6 million cases.
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Digging into Trump's taxes

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Axios Re:Cap focuses on what is and isn't surprising about the revelations, plus how real estate developers are taxed, with Francine McKenna, an independent financial journalist and certified public accountant.

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Pennsylvania GOP asks Supreme Court to halt mail-in ballot extension

Applications for mail-in ballots in Reading, Pennsylvania. Photo: Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images

Republicans in Pennsylvania on Monday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to halt a major state court ruling that extended the deadlines for mail-in ballots to several days after the election, The Morning Call reports.

Why it matters: It's the first election-related test for the Supreme Court since the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and could decide the fate of thousands of ballots in a crucial swing state that President Trump won in 2016. What the court decides could signal how it would deal with similar election-related litigation in other states.

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