Meiad Maleki, the former head of the sanctions targeting office at the U.S. Treasury Department, said the goal of removing the education exemption is not Iranian students, but rather closing a pathway which, according to him, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and entities affiliated with the Islamic Republic used to generate revenue or gain access to information.

He added that this decision does not mean a permanent halt to educational services, and that companies can still continue their activities by obtaining case-by-case licenses from the U.S. Treasury Department. According to Maleki, this mechanism is designed to prevent abuse by the Islamic Republic while, at the same time, preserving the possibility of providing educational services.