The Treasury announced new sanctions Thursday on five Iranian entities affiliated with the country's ballistic missile program.



All five Iranian entities are subordinates of the Iranian company Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group.

The new restrictions will prevent the entities from dealing financially with U.S. citizens and financial institutions. 



The announcement comes as tens of thousands of Iranians have taken to the streets, including in the nation's capital of Tehran, to protest the government. </s> The United States is imposing new sanctions against 18 individuals and entities over their support for Iran's ballistic missile program and other military-related activities.

The sanctions come one day after Washington certified that Iran is complying with the 2015 nuclear deal and will continue to receive nuclear-related sanctions relief.

The U.S. Department of Treasury said in a statement on July 18 it was targeting 16 entities and individuals for ”engaging in support of illicit Iranian actors or transnational criminal activity.”

Those sanctioned have supported Iran's military or the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) by developing military equipment, producing and maintaining fast-attack boats, and procuring electronic components, the treasury said.

"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 was quoted as saying in the statement.

The State Department also said it is designating two Iranian organizations involved in Iran’s ballistic missile program.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Iran was testing and developing ballistic missiles "in direct defiance" of a UN Security Council resolution.

The new sanctions were "in response to these continued Iranian threats," she said in a July 18 statement.

The State Department called on Iran to release U.S. citizens including Baquer Namazi, Siamak Namazi, and Xiyue Wang whose arrest and prison sentence on espionage charges was announced by a judiciary spokesman over the weekend.

With reporting by Reuters and dpa </s> The U.S. Treasury Department's sanctions come amid anti-government protests in Iran, which have received vocal support from the White House. | Karen Bleier/AFP/Getty Images Treasury sanctions Iranian entities linked to ballistic missile production

The Treasury Department on Thursday sanctioned five Iranian entities linked to the country’s ballistic missile program.

The action comes amid anti-government protests in Iran, which have received vocal support from the White House.

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President Donald Trump must also decide by Jan. 11 whether to continue waiving economic sanctions against the country, which were lifted as part of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Those waivers must be renewed every 120 days.

The entities sanctioned today are affiliated with Iran’s Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group, which develops and produces missiles, Treasury said. The U.S. will freeze any financial assets of the designated entities that are within U.S. jurisdiction, and Americans are prohibited from dealing with them commercially.

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The Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group itself is already sanctioned by the U.S. The new entities sanctioned are Shahid Kharrazi Industries; Shahid Sanikhani Industries; Shahid Moghaddam Industries; Shahid Eslami Research Center, and Shahid Shustari Industries. Each are responsible for different stages of development for ballistic missiles, Treasury said.

“These sanctions target key entities involved in Iran’s ballistic missile program, which the Iranian regime prioritizes over the economic well-being of the Iranian people,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement. </s> The Treasury Department on Thursday sanctioned five Iranian entities linked to the country’s ballistic missile program.

The action comes amid anti-government protests in Iran, which have received vocal support from the White House.

President Donald Trump must also decide by Jan. 11 whether to continue waiving economic sanctions against the country, which were lifted as part of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Those waivers must be renewed every 120 days.

The entities sanctioned today are affiliated with Iran’s Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group, which develops and produces missiles, Treasury said. The U.S. will freeze any financial assets of the designated entities that are within U.S. jurisdiction, and Americans are prohibited from dealing with them commercially.

The Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group itself is already sanctioned by the U.S. The new entities sanctioned are Shahid Kharrazi Industries; Shahid Sanikhani Industries; Shahid Moghaddam Industries; Shahid Eslami Research Center, and Shahid Shustari Industries. Each are responsible for different stages of development for ballistic missiles, Treasury said.

“These sanctions target key entities involved in Iran’s ballistic missile program, which the Iranian regime prioritizes over the economic well-being of the Iranian people,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement. </s> The U.S. Treasury Department announced additional sanctions on Iran on Friday, less than a week after a ballistic missile test prompted the Trump administration to accuse Iran of violating an international a weapons agreement.

The newly announced sanctions target people and businesses the U.S. government says support Iran's ballistic missile program and its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force, according to a Treasury Department statement. They are in line with previous sanctions, implemented over what then-President Barack Obama called Iran's "violations of human rights, for its support of terrorism and for its ballistic missile program."

The acting director of the Treasury unit in charge of sanctions, John Smith, said the latest sanctions do not violate the international nuclear deal reached with Iran in 2015, which required Iran to scale back its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of some economic sanctions.

A top Treasury Department official tells NPR's Michele Kelemen that the actions are part of the U.S. efforts to counter Iranian "malign activity abroad."

The public text of the sanctions lists 12 companies and 13 individuals, blocking assets and prohibiting U.S. citizens from dealing with them. Among the individuals, four are listed as Iranian citizens, two are Lebanese, one is Chinese, and one holds a passport from the island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis. It also announced changes to previous, unrelated sanctions on a 14th individual.

The businesses are based both inside and outside Iran.

According to the Treasury Department, the sanctions target:



Hours before the sanctions were announced, President Trump addressed Iran in a tweet, writing, "Iran is playing with fire — they don't appreciate how 'kind' President Obama was to them. Not me!"

Iran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, tweeted an hour later that "we will never use our weapons against anyone, except in self-defense."

Both U.S. and Iranian officials weighed in on whether Sunday's missile test broke the terms of the nuclear deal.

Acting State Department spokesman Mark Toner told The Associated Press on Monday that the U.S. was looking into whether the test violated a 2015 side agreement to the nuclear accord, and that the U.S. would "hold Iran accountable" if it did.

Zarif said Tuesday, that "the missile issue is not part of the nuclear deal."

National Security Adviser Mike Flynn said a day later that former President Barack Obama had gone too easy on Iran, but that "as of today, we are officially putting Iran on notice."

Flynn also listed the administration's grievances with Tehran, including its test of a ballistic missile and what he said were attacks by proxy forces in Yemen on U.S. and Middle Eastern ships, as we reported.

One of the incidents he appeared to be referring to occurred in October 2016, when U.S. Navy ships off Yemen's southwestern coast came under missile attacks twice in four days.

According to the Pentagon, the missiles came from an area controlled by Houthi forces, who are fighting against the government of Yemen and who the U.S. government says are backed by the Iranian government, which is supplying weapons to the rebel group.

But it was unclear who ordered October's missile launches, as NPR's Philip Ewing reported. Houthi leaders denied the attacks, and Tehran has denied U.S. accusations that Iran is supporting Houthi forces. Nonetheless, the U.S. carried out airstrikes against what the Pentagon said were radar installations in Houthi-controlled areas.

In December, Congress extended U.S. sanctions against Iran originally imposed in 1996 until 2026. </s> The U.S. Treasury Department announced additional sanctions on Iran on Friday, less than a week after a ballistic missile test prompted the Trump administration to accuse Iran of violating an international a weapons agreement.

The newly announced sanctions target 12 companies and 14 individuals, blocking assets and prohibiting U.S. citizens from dealing with them. Among the individuals, four are listed as Iranian citizens, two are Lebanese, one is Chinese, and one holds a passport from the island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis.

The businesses are based both inside and outside Iran.

According to the Treasury Department, the sanctions target:



Hours before the sanctions were announced, President Trump addressed Iran in a tweet, writing "Iran is playing with fire — they don't appreciate how 'kind' President Obama was to them. Not me!"

On Wednesday, National Security Adviser Mike Flynn also said former President Barack Obama had gone too easy on Iran, but that "as of today, we are officially putting Iran on notice."

Flynn also listed the administration's grievances with Tehran, including its test of a ballistic missile and what he said were attacks by proxy forces in Yemen on U.S. and Middle Eastern ships, as we reported.

Ali Akbar Velayati, an adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said his country would not yield to "useless" U.S. threats from "an inexperienced person" over its ballistic missile program, according to Reuters. Velayati did not specify which so-called inexperienced person he was referring to. </s> WASHINGTON—The U.S. imposed sanctions on five entities tied to Iran’s ballistic-missile program, seeking to punish Tehran for its management of the economy as thousands of Iranians protest against their government.

Treasury Department officials blamed Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other parts of the government for funding proxies across the Middle East despite the needs of the Iranian people at home. </s> U.S. Treasury slaps sanctions on Iranian companies after satellite launch

The U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on Friday on six subsidiaries of an Iranian company key to Iran's ballistic missile program in response to Tehran's "continued provocative actions," including Thursday's launch of a space launch vehicle, Reuters reported.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed the sanctions on six Iran-based companies owned or controlled by Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group, the Treasury said in a statement. </s> The U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions Thursday against five "Iran-based entities subordinate to a key element of Iran's ballistic missile program." The five entities targeted are subsidiaries of Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group (SBIG), which is part of Iran's Defense Ministry. While Shahid is already under U.S. sanctions, the new designations ensure its subsidiaries are also punished.

"These sanctions target key entities involved in Iran's ballistic missile program, which the Iranian regime prioritizes over the economic well-being of the Iranian people," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement. "As the Iranian people suffer, their government and the IRGC fund foreign militants, terrorist groups, and human rights abuses."

"The United States will continue to decisively counter the Iranian regime's malign activity, including additional sanctions targeting human rights abuses," Mnuchin added.

The sanctions come after a week of protests in Iran, although the sanctions are not related to the unrest, The Associated Press reports. Last month U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley showed reporters missile parts with logos suggesting they were manufactured by Shahid. Haley said the fragments were recovered from missiles Iran-backed Houthi rebels launched at Saudi Arabia in Yemen.
The United States Department of the Treasury announces new sanctions against Iran in response to the latter's recent ballistic missile test. Thirteen people and twelve entities with ties to Iran have been affected.