ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United States on Wednesday announced fresh sanctions targeting an Iranian national and his network of companies it says are involved in helping Iran acquire materials for its ballistic missile program, while reassuring the nuclear talks remain unaffected.
In a statement, the US Treasury Department said it acted in response to the recent missile attack on Erbil claimed by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and the “Iranian enabled Houthi missile attack” targeting Saudi Aramco facilities, as well as “attacks by Iranian proxies” against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia.
“This action reinforces the United States’ commitment to preventing the Iranian regime’s development and use of advanced ballistic missiles,” Under Secretary of the Treasury Brian Nelson said.
The sanctions were slammed on Iranian national Mohammad Ali Hosseini and various Iran-based companies the US says he used to help Tehran procure materials and ballistic missile propellant.
Nelson said that the US remained committed to seeking “Iran’s full compliance” with the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as talks to restore the 2015 version of the agreement have stalled.
Iran’s ballistic missile program has typically remained a separate issue from talks regarding its nuclear program.
The recent decision freezes all US assets belonging to Hosseini and those related to the companies targeted, while also preventing them from dealing with US interests or nationals. The companies sanctioned include P.B. Sadr Co., Sina Composite Delijan which was accused to falsifying shipping documents from China, and Jestar Sanat Dlijan.
Iran launched an attack on Erbil on March 13, causing significant material damage to the residence of a Kurdish business tycoon.
On Friday, a series of Houthi aerial attacks targeted Saudi Arabia, hitting Saudi Aramco’s petroleum distribution station in Jeddah, causing a fire in two storage tanks.
Iran and world powers, including the US, have held talks for almost a year aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal, with Iran insisting that the US must lift its crippling sanctions, including those on the IRGC, and to provide a guarantee that future US administrations will not be able to withdraw from the deal.
US special envoy for Iran Robert Malley said on Sunday that the sanctions on the IRGC would remain in place even if an agreement to restore the deal is reached.
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