A display featuring missiles and a portrait of Iranian Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is seen at Baharestan Square in Tehran, Sept. 27, 2017. Photo: Nazanin Tabatabaee Yazdi / TIMA via Reuters.

The Trump administration’s announcement on Thursday that it was imposing new sanctions targeting Iran’s financial sector was welcomed by the umbrella group representing US Jewry.

“The continued maximum pressure campaign makes clear to the Ayatollah that there are consequences for his relentless quest to develop nuclear weapons,” the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations said in a statement.

“This latest round of sanctions deals another heavy blow to the economy of the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, further limiting its ability to wreak havoc in the service of its extremist hegemonic aspirations,” it added. “Iran and its terrorist proxies have the innocent blood of Americans, Israelis, and others on their hands. We support policies and actions, such as these sanctions, which reduce the risks posed to US and allied forces in the Middle East and around the world.”

“We hope to see Iran accept limitations on its nuclear ambitions and enter into new negotiations with the US and the international community,” it added. “The Iranian people do not seek regional hegemony, and do not support the reckless belligerence of their rulers. Decades of destructive behavior have rendered Iran a pariah state that is alienated from the rest of the world. The extremist regime should heed the will of the people under its control and take steps to finally rejoin the family of nations.”

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated on Thursday, “Our maximum economic pressure campaign will continue until Iran is willing to conclude a comprehensive negotiation that addresses the regime’s malign behavior.”

He went on to say, “Our sanctions are directed at the regime and its corrupt officials that have used the wealth of the Iranian people to fuel a radical, revolutionary cause that has brought untold suffering across the Middle East and beyond. The United States continues to stand with the Iranian people, the longest-suffering victims of the regime’s predations.”