US Imposes New Iran-Related Sanctions

Reports say the US is planning to sanction Iran as much as possible until Biden's inauguration on January 20th

The US imposed Iran-related sanctions on four individuals and six companies on Tuesday, accusing the targets of being part of a “procurement network” for an Iranian military firm.

The sanctions targeted companies based in Iran, Hong Kong, China, and Brunei, as well as individuals associated with the firms. The Iranian regime utilizes a global network of companies to advance its destabilizing military capabilities,” US Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin said in a statement.

The accusation against those targeted is that they helped facilitate the transfer of sensitive materials, including electronics that originated in the US, to Iran Communication Industries, an Iranian firm the US claims is controlled by Iran’s defense ministry.

The measures come after a report from Axios that cited Israeli sources said the Trump administration is trying to slap as many sanctions on Iran as possible before Joe Biden is inaugurated on January 20th.

The US envoy for Iran, Elliot Abrams, confirmed plans for new sanctions against Iran in comments to reporters on Monday, although Abrams tried to downplay their relation to the change in the administration.

The goal of the Iran hawks in Washington and Israel is to make it as hard as possible for an incoming Biden administration to return to the 2015 nuclear deal. Sources told Reuters that more sanctions are expected next week that will target Iranian officials for alleged human rights abuses related to protests that took place last year.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.