FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 15, 2026
Media Contact: Melissa Garriga | [email protected]
“Sanctions Kill, Sanctions Starve” Peace Activists Disrupt Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Peace activists from the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), About Face, and Cuban Americans for Cuba disrupted Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's testimony before the House Financial Services Committee on Tuesday, condemning U.S. economic sanctions on Iran and Cuba and calling for an end to the deadly policy that kills hundreds of thousands of people every year.
As Bessent addressed lawmakers on the state of the international financial system, protesters interrupted him, including two Iranian Americans, a Cuban American, a veteran, and a military family member, shouting at Bessent, “Sanctions kill, sanctions starve in Iran and Cuba!” and “End the sanctions, bring troops home!”
Capitol police removed all five disruptors and arrested them.
Isabella Javidan, NIAC communications manager, explained why she disrupted, "There is something deeply perverse about claiming to stand with the Iranian people while bombing them, impoverishing them, cutting them off from education and severing their connections to the rest of the world." She criticized the U.S. approach of using civilians as leverage against foreign governments.
"For decades, Washington has treated Iranian civilians as instruments through which it can exert pressure on the Iranian government, as though enough deprivation imposed on ordinary people will eventually produce the political outcome the United States wants. That logic strips Iranians of their humanity and reduces our lives to leverage. If you believe Iranians deserve freedom and dignity, then our lives, our education, and our ability to remain connected to the world cannot be treated as expendable in pursuit of American geopolitical objectives," she continued.
Over the years, sanctions on Iran have triggered a devastating and far-reaching humanitarian and public health emergency, inflating the costs of basic survival, curtailing access to medical treatment, and driving ordinary families deeper into poverty.
Cuban Americans were also part of today’s disruption as the U.S. intensifies its decades-long economic warfare on the people of Cuba with more sanctions and a fuel blockade that is causing deadly mass suffering.
"The man testifying today is responsible for enforcing the sanctions that keep our friends and family in the dark. As Cuban Americans, we refuse to stay silent while our government starves our homeland," explained Danny Valdes, founder of Cuban Americans for Cuba.
The disruption underscores growing concerns over the humanitarian impact of U.S. foreign policy. Research indicates that U.S. sanctions are linked to nearly 600,000 deaths worldwide each year. These measures disproportionately affect vulnerable populations without achieving their intended political outcomes.
For more information, to interview a disrupter, or for more footage of the disruptions, please contact Melissa at [email protected]
###
