The US imposes new sanctions against Iran

2024-04-18 18:58:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The United States announced on Thursday that it has imposed new sanctions against Iran. Iran's drone maker is the target of sanctions, following Iran's attack on Israel at the weekend.

The US Treasury Department said in a media release that the new sanctions have been imposed on 16 individuals and two entities linked to Iran's drone production, including the production of engines for Iran's Shahed drone, which was used to to attack Israel on April 13.

The US President, Joe Biden, said in a statement that he had asked the US Treasury to "continue with the imposition of sanctions that will further weaken Iran's military industries".

"Let it be clear to all those who enable or support Iran's attacks, we will not hesitate to take the necessary actions to hold them accountable," Biden said.

The Treasury said it would also impose sanctions against five companies in multiple jurisdictions that provide steelmaking components to Iran's Khuezetan Steel Company. The targets of the sanctions, according to the communiqué, are also the subsidiaries of the Iranian vehicle manufacturer, Bahman Group, which it said have materially supported the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran (IRGC).

The UK has also imposed sanctions against several Iranian military organizations, individuals and entities involved in Iran's drone and ballistic missile industry, according to the statement.

This comes after a meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors of the G7 industrialized countries said on Wednesday that they would ensure "close cooperation on future measures to undermine Iran's ability to secure, produce or the transfer of weapons to support escalating actions in the region". European Union leaders also decided on Wednesday to increase sanctions against Iran, following its attack on Israel, which has raised concerns about the outbreak of a wider conflict in the Middle East.

Iran said it carried out the April 13 attack in retaliation for an alleged Israeli attack on an Iranian consulate in Syria on April 1.

Israel has vowed to respond to Iran's attack, without saying how or when.

Iran has said that it considers this issue closed, but has warned that, in case of retaliation "even the smallest" on Iranian territory, its response would be "extraordinary and severe"./ Rel