The Secretary of State extends the scope of metal sanctions for the Islamic Republic’s nuclear, military and ballistic missile programmes.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Thursday that he is extending the scope of sanctions on Iranian metals for the Islamic Republic’s nuclear, military, and ballistic missile programs.
“Iran’s military, ballistic missile and nuclear systems pose a serious risk to foreign peace and security. To address these risks, I am pronouncing a primary expansion of the scope of sanctions on metals in Iran administered through the State Department. Today, the State Department identifies 22 express fabrics used in Iran’s nuclear, military or ballistic missile systems. Those who knowingly move such tissues to Iran are now subject to sanctions under section 1245 of Iran’s Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act,” Pompeo said in a statement.
“Under the same provision of the law, I continue my determination that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) controls the structural sector in Iran. The corporate structure of the IRGC and many of its subsidiaries continue to be sanctioned through the United Nations because they were concerned about the structure of fordow’s uranium enrichment site,” he said.
“Following this IRGC determination, any knowing movement of safe materials, adding graphite or uncooked or semi-finished metals, to or from Iran for use in the structures sector in Iran remains punishable,” he concluded.
Since abandoning the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, the United States has continually reimposed sanctions opposed to Iran.
Iranian officials said U.S. sanctions “seriously impede” the Islamic Republic’s ability to fight coronavirus.
The most recent sanctions come amid ongoing tensions between the United States and Iran. On Tuesday, the Revolutionary Guard introduced missiles to a fake aircraft carrier in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
The training included such a barrage of chimneys that the U.S. military put on alert two regional bases in the Middle East amid tensions between the two countries.
The training, and the U.S. reaction to that, underscored the persistent risk of a military confrontation between Iran and the United States after a series of escalation incidents last year that led to an attack with U.S. drones that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad.
Iran retaliated for the killing of Soleimani by launching a missile bombing at two Iraqi army bases housing U.S. troops. 34 service members were diagnosed with brain trauma as a result of the attack.