New US sanctions target 'firms, ships cooperating with Iran's oil, petchem industry'
The United States has imposed a fresh raft of sanctions against, what it calls, firms and vessels that have either transported or sold Iranian petroleum or petrochemical products.
The US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced the measures on Thursday.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken identified the targets of the bans as 11 firms and 20 affiliated shipping vessels, alleging they had facilitated Iran's petroleum and petrochemical trade.
Two of the sanctioned firms are based in China, while others are headquartered in Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates, according to the OFAC.
The United States lifted some of its sanctions against Iran in 2015, following the conclusion of a nuclear deal between the Islamic Republic and world countries, including the US itself.
Former US President Donald Trump, however, left the deal -- which is officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) -- and returned the sanctions as part of its trademark "maximum pressure" campaign.
The administration of his successor Joe Biden has alleged interest in returning Washington to the deal. In practice, however, it has not only failed to live up to its own words but has also imposed several rounds of additional sanctions of its own against Tehran.
"These designations underscore our continued efforts to enforce our sanctions against Iran," Blinken added.
Speaking to Reuters, Iran's mission to the United Nations denounced the Biden administration for "basically repeating the failed maximum pressure policy of the former US government."
The Islamic Republic has asserted that Washington's potential return to the accord has to be accompanied by the elimination of all of its sanctions against Tehran.
Echoing the position, the Iranian mission likewise said "if the US wants to return to the JCPOA one day, it will be challenging for the US government to lift all of them."
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