Trump administration imposes sanctions on some Iranian people and firms after UN decision

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Trump administration sanctions announced Wednesday target dozens of companies and individuals involved in Iran's missile and military aircraft production, a new punishment intended to support recently reimposed U.N. penalties against Tehran over its nuclear program.

The “snapback” U.N. measures freeze Iranian assets abroad, halt arms deals with Tehran and penalize any development of Iran’s ballistic missile program, among other measures.

And now, on Wednesday, the Treasury Department named 21 entities and 17 individuals involved in networks that have helped procure technology for advanced surface-to-air missile systems and the illegal purchase of a U.S.-manufactured helicopter.

The sanctions include penalties on a network that works out of Iran, Hong Kong, and China for sourcing U.S.-origin, dual-use electronics for an Iranian-controlled firm that produces equipment for the Iranian military.

In addition, the Treasury Department is sanctioning a group operating out of Iran, Germany, Turkey, Portugal, and Uruguay that procured a U.S.-origin helicopter, for the Iranian military.

“The Iranian regime’s support of terrorist proxies and its pursuit of nuclear weapons threatens the security of the Middle East, the United States and our allies around the world,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.

The Treasury Department worked with the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security, and Federal Bureau of Investigation to gather intelligence for these sanctions.

With the new United Nations sanctions intended to further squeeze the Islamic Republic, Iranians are bracing for the financial impacts on their economy as people increasingly find themselves priced out of the food they need to survive and are worried about their futures. Iran’s rial currency sits at a record low, increasing pressure on food prices and making daily life that much more challenging.

France, Germany and the United Kingdom led the effort to reimpose United Nations sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, further isolating Tehran after its atomic sites were repeatedly bombed during a 12-day war with Israel

They cite Tehran’s restrictions of monitoring its nuclear program and the deadlock over its negotiations with the U.S.

Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful, though the West and International Atomic Energy Agency say Tehran had an organized weapons program up until 2003.

It remains unclear how Tehran will respond to the new rounds of sanctions.