The Treasury announced the new sanctions against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps unit responsible for ballistic missile research and development, as well as Iran’s Parchin Chemical Industries and an Iranian intermediary working to procure parts for the rocket engine.
“Iran’s ballistic missile-related activities continue to destabilize the Middle East region, and the United States will continue to use every tool at our disposal to disrupt them,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on Wednesday.
The new sanctions come as the US is still trying to reach an agreement with Iran to rejoin the nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. While US officials earlier this month said a deal appeared to be in place, there have been signs in recent days that it may not be imminent.
US special envoy for Iran Robert Malley told CNN’s Becky Anderson in Doha on Sunday that a nuclear deal “isn’t around the corner and isn’t due to unresolved issues, including Tehran’s demands over the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.” is inevitable”.
Also on Sunday, Blinken said in a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett that the US would oppose hostile actions by Iran regardless of what happens with the nuclear deal. “Deal or no deal, we will continue to work together and with other partners to counter Iran’s destabilizing behavior in the region,” Blinken said.
The Ministry of Finance said the sanctions were imposed on Wednesday after the March 13 missile attack on Erbil. The missiles landed near the under-construction US consulate building in Erbil, although the State Department said they did not hit US facilities.
The Treasury Department statement also cited the “Iran-backed Houthi missile attack on a Saudi Aramco facility on March 25, as well as other missile attacks by Iranian proxies against Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates,” saying all attacks “are a reminder of that.” that Iran’s ballistic missile development and proliferation continues to pose a serious threat to international security.”
“While the United States continues to seek Iran’s return to full compliance with the joint comprehensive plan of action, we will have no hesitation in targeting those who support Iran’s ballistic missile program,” said Brian Nelson, Secretary of the Treasury and Counterterrorism Financial information, in a statement. “We will also work with other partners in the region to hold Iran accountable for its actions, including gross violations of its neighbors’ sovereignty.”