Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

US Imposes New Sanctions on Iran’s Ballistic Missile Program | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
Select Page
Media ID: 55379106
Caption:

A man looks at Iranian-made missiles at Holy Defense Museum in Tehran on September 23, 2015. (Reuters)


Washington – Hours after the US administration announced it would keep the nuclear deal with Iran, the US Treasury Department imposed on Tuesday new sanctions against 18 entities and individuals linked to Tehran’s ballistic missile program and the regional activities of its Revolutionary Guards.

In parallel, the US State Department issued a statement accusing Tehran of sending weapons to Houthi militias in Yemen.

The new designations, according to the US Treasury “include seven entities and five individuals for engaging in activities in support of Iran’s military or Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as well as an Iran-based transnational criminal organization and three associated persons.”

It added that three networks were designated for their support to Iran’s military armament or the IRGC “through the development of unmanned aerial vehicles and military equipment for the IRGC, the production and maintenance of fast attack boats for the IRGC-Navy, or the procurement of electronic components for entities that support Iran’s military.”

The US Treasury noted that a designated transnational criminal organization, along with two Iranian businessmen and an associated entity, “orchestrated the theft of US and western software programs which, at times, were sold to the Government of Iran.”

“This administration will continue to aggressively target Iran’s malign activity, including their ongoing state support of terrorism, ballistic missile program, and human rights abuses,” Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin said.

“These sanctions target procurement of advanced military hardware, such as fast attack boats and unmanned aerial vehicles, and send a strong signal that the United States cannot and will not tolerate Iran’s provocative and destabilizing behavior. We will continue to target the IRGC and pressure Iran to cease its ballistic missile program and malign activities in the region,” he added, in the statement issued by the Treasury.

Meanwhile, the US Department of State said on Tuesday: “The United States remains deeply concerned about Iran’s malign activities across the Middle East which undermine regional stability, security, and prosperity.”

The statement underlined Iranian support for Houthi rebels in Yemen, noting that Tehran “continues to provide Houthi rebels in Yemen with sophisticated weapons threatening the freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.”