SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Iran said the new U.S. sanctions imposed against the country’s military drone programme contradicted Washington’s claim to seek a return to the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and the world powers.
“The imposition of new sanctions reflects the completely contradictory behavior of the White House [which] speaks of its intention to return to the nuclear accord and continues to impose sanctions,” Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Katibzadeh told state media on Friday.
The U.S. Treasury Department said on Friday that the United States had issued a fresh round of Iran-related sanctions tied to an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps drone programme that it said threatened regional stability.
Iran says its drone programme is for defensive purpose.
The sanctions target four people, including Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Brigadier General Saeed Aghajani, who the United States says oversees the UAV operations of the Aerospace Force.
The Treasury Department’s actions also target two companies – Kimia Part Sivan Co. and Oje Parvaz Mado Nafar Co. – that it said procured components for the program and provided other assistance.
The sanctions will block access to property subject to U.S. jurisdiction of the persons designated, while U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with the designated persons or their blocked property, the Treasury said.
