The United States has imposed sanctions on the Iran Space Agency and two of its research institutes for allegedly being used to advance the country’s ballistic missile programme.
In a statement on Tuesday, the U.S. Department of State identified the affected institutes as the Iran Space Research Centre and the Astronautics Research Institute.
The action, according to the statement, came under Executive Order 13382, “which targets proliferators of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and WMD delivery systems and their supporters”.
This is the first time the U.S. is sanctioning Iran’s civilian space agency, according to the department.
“Today’s designations continue U.S. efforts to exert maximum pressure on the Iranian regime to address the threat it poses to international peace and security.
“In addition to the blocking of any U.S. assets, non-U.S. persons may be exposed to sanctions for providing material support to these entities,” the statement said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from a 2015 multi-national nuclear deal with Iran because “it did not go far enough”.
“Our actions today show the flaws in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), why the United States was right to cease participation in it.
“They also show the importance of achieving a deal that prevents Iran from developing ballistic missile capabilities that could contribute to a nuclear weapon delivery system.
“This is why Secretary Pompeo has called for a new comprehensive deal that addresses all elements of Iran’s malign behaviour,” the statement said.
NAN reports that the sanctions came hours after the Iranian President, Hassan Rouhani, reportedly said his country would not agree to bilateral negotiations with the U.S. until all sanctions were lifted.
According to Iran’s Mehr News Agency, Rouhani stated this at a parliament session in Tehran with a threat to further reduce commitments to the “crumbling JCPOA”.
Trump had earlier said he would meet his Iranian counterpart “under the right circumstances” to end the confrontation over the nuclear deal.
Speaking at a the just-ended G7 summit in France, the U.S. president, however, ruled out lifting economic sanctions to compensate for losses suffered by Iran.
NAN
