Even as the Obama administration is preparing to move on ahead with its nuclear agreement with Iran, the Treasury Department announced Sunday that it is slapping sanctions on 11 individuals and entities involved in ballistic missile procurement for Iran, shutting them out of the U.S. banking system.
Several entities were identified as procuring on behalf of the Iranian ballistic missile program by the Treasury Department, including Mabrooka Trading Co. LLC, which is based in the United Arab Emirates, and its China and United Arab Emirates-based network. Five Iranian individuals were also identified.
“This network obfuscated the end user of sensitive goods for missile proliferation by using front companies in third countries to deceive foreign suppliers,” Treasury said in a press release.
President Obama mentioned the sanctions during an announcement Saturday from the White House in which he said American diplomacy is to thank for the agreement with Iran that aims to put its nuclear weapons program on ice.
He warned that while relations between the two countries are improving, the U.S. remains steadfast in opposing Iran’s “destabilizing behavior elsewhere”, human rights violations and ballistic missile program.
Obama said “we will continue to enforce these sanctions, vigorously. Iran’s recent missile test, for example, was a violation of its international obligations. And as a result, the United States is imposing sanctions on individuals and companies working to advance Iran’s ballistic missile program. And we are going to remain vigilant about it.
“We’re not going to waver in the defense of our security or that of our allies and partners,” Obama added.
The department’s announcement comes one day after the United Nations lifted sanctions on Iran in the wake of declaring the country met guidelines in a nuclear deal. The U.S. and several of its allies also released $100 billion in frozen assets to Iran.
“Iran’s ballistic missile program poses a significant threat to regional and global security, and it will continue to be subject to international sanctions,” said Adam Szubin, Treasury acting under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence. “We have consistently made clear that the United States will vigorously press sanctions against Iranian activities outside of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action — including those related to Iran’s support for terrorism, regional destabilization, human rights abuses, and ballistic missile program.”
