US imposes sanctions on Iranian firms
The US has imposed unilateral sanctions on 10 Iranian companies and five individuals allegedly affiliated to the Islamic Republic Iran Shipping Lines and Mellat Bank.
The sanctions come on the same day Iran announced the time and venue for its talks with the P5+1 — Britain, China, France, Russia and the US plus Germany.
Dialogue between Iran and the P5+1 has been stalled since October 1, 2009, when the two sides met in Geneva.
Talks will restart on December 6 in Switzerland, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Saeed Jalili announced on Tuesday.
The US Treasury Department announced on Tuesday the sanctions extended to eight “front companies” connected to the IRISL, all of which are located in the Isle of Man.
Amid a standoff born out of Western allegations that Tehran is following a military nuclear program, the UN Security Council on June 9 imposed a fourth round of sanctions against Iran’s financial and military sectors.
Shortly after the UN sanctions, the US imposed unilateral sanctions on Iran’s financial and energy sectors, encouraging other countries to abandon investment in the Iranian market.
The move came less than a month after Iran, Turkey, and Brazil issued a fuel swap declaration in a trust-building gesture aimed at speeding up the resumption of stalled nuclear negotiations.
The US then pressured Japan, Canada, and Australia to impose similar unilateral sanctions on the Islamic Republic, targeting investments in energy-related industries.
In September, the US imposed financial and travel sanctions on eight senior Iranian officials, including Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Commander Mohammad-Ali Jafari and Deputy Police Chief Brigadier-General Ahmad Reza Radan, accusing them of human rights abuse during the post-election unrest in Iran in 2009.
In October, the US Treasury Department slapped further sanctions on 37 Iranian firms it claimed were “front companies” based in Germany, Malta and Cyprus which were allegedly owned or controlled by IRISL, and the five Iranians who were managers or directors of these firms.
Iran says that as a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency and a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, it has a right to use the peaceful applications of nuclear energy for electricity generation and medical research.
