The US has imposed sanctions on five Iranian companies it alleges are tied to the Islamic Republic’s development of ballistic missiles.
The Treasury Department linked the measure to the recent wave of deadly unrest that has hit some areas in Iran, though the US has targeted Tehran’s missile program in the past too for other unsubstantiated reasons.
“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,” said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Thursday.
“The United States will continue to decisively counter the Iranian regime’s malign activity,” Mnuchin added.
Under the sanctions, Washington will freeze any assets that the firms hold in places under US jurisdiction and also ban US citizens from doing business with them.
In addition, foreign institutions, which work with the companies, could be locked out of the US…