The U.S. Treasury Department on Wednesday imposed new sanctions on procurement networks that support Iran’s ballistic missile, nuclear and defense programs.
The networks are located in Iran, Turkey, Oman and Germany and purchase carbon fiber, epoxy resin and other materials for missiles, according to a Treasury Department statement.
Brian Nelson, the U.S. Treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said a “sophisticated network of clandestine procurement” allowed Iran to perpetuate the conflict and risk lives.
Iran is under sanctions over its nuclear program and missile production capabilities. Last month, the U.S. Treasury Department announced measures targeting Iran’s ballistic missile and drone procurement programs.
The U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, has accused Iran of hindering its monitoring attempts. For years, Iran has denied accusations that it is developing nuclear weapons, insisting that its nuclear activities are only for peaceful causes such as energy production and medicine.
However, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency warned last year that Iran has enough enriched uranium and materials to build several nuclear bombs.
The United States is particularly concerned about Iran because of its ties to and military support of its proxies in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and the Gaza Strip, which have attacked U.S. and Israeli targets.
“The United States is committed to using all available tools to expose and disrupt the networks that support Iran’s wanton proliferation of weapons that destabilize the Middle East and enable Russia to continue its aggression in Ukraine,” the U.S. State Department said in a statement on the new sanctions.
Some of the information in this report comes from Reuters.
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