The U.S. Sanctions 18 Individuals and Entities for Supporting Iran's Missile Program

On Tuesday, July 18, the U.S. Treasury Department placed 18 individuals and entities on its sanctions list due to their support for the ballistic missile activities of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The announcement of new sanctions comes a day after the Trump administration confirmed Iran's compliance with the terms of the JCPOA while stating that Tehran is not adhering to the spirit of the nuclear agreement. Washington had threatened that more non-nuclear threats were on the way. The Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury stated that 16 individuals and entities were added to the sanctions list for supporting Iranian illicit actors or transnational criminal activities. The new list includes seven institutions and five individuals for supporting Iran's military program or the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). A transnational criminal organization and three related individuals were also included in this list. According to the statement, three networks listed are involved in providing necessary equipment for Iran's military or the IRGC by supplying drone equipment and other military gear for the IRGC, producing and repairing fast attack boats for the IRGC Navy, or providing electronic parts for institutions involved in Iran's military program. The U.S. Treasury emphasized that the transnational criminal organization, two Iranian traders, and one institution added to the sanctions list on Tuesday had stolen American and Western software programs and sold them to Iran. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin stated, 'The U.S. government continues to target Iran's malign activities, including state-sponsored terrorism, ballistic missile programs, and human rights violations.' He noted that the sanctions send a strong message that the U.S. cannot and will not tolerate Iran's provocative and destabilizing behavior. We will continue to target the IRGC and pressure Iran to stop its ballistic missile program and its malign activities in the region.' The U.S. Treasury's statement emphasized that all assets and properties of the sanctioned individuals would be blocked, and U.S. citizens are prohibited from any transactions with them. Additionally, foreign financial institutions that engage in such transactions or individuals who provide materials or other assistance to the sanctioned institutions and individuals will face the risk of sanctions or restrictions on access to the U.S. financial system and the blocking of their assets. The company 'Rayan Roshd Afzar' and three related individuals named Mohsen Parsajam, the company's CEO, Seyed Reza Ghasemi, the executive affairs manager, and Farshad Hakemzadeh, the company's representative, are among the new entities and individuals on the U.S. sanctions list. The U.S. Treasury states that this company and its managers are involved in providing or attempting to provide financial, material, and technical support or other assistance, including in the services and goods sector for the IRGC, and this is why they have been sanctioned. 'Mackendalo Qeshm Cooperative Company,' based on Qeshm Island, is also accused of providing financial, material, technical, or other support and performing services or supplying goods for the IRGC Navy and has been included in this list. 'Ramour Group,' based in Turkey and involved in supplying maritime equipment for the Mackendalo Qeshm Company, is also listed. The U.S. Treasury has also placed Rasit Tavan, the CEO and sole owner of Ramour Group, on its sanctions list. He was arrested earlier in June this year for violating U.S. export control regulations. The software group 'Ajili,' based in Iran, is also included in this list and is accused of using hackers to steal engineering software programs from the United States and other Western countries. According to the U.S. Treasury, some of this software has been sold to military institutions and the Iranian government because they were unable to legally access these programs due to U.S. sanctions. According to the Treasury's statement, hackers carried out these thefts using servers based in several Western countries. Emily Liu from Chinese suppliers and four related institutions have also been sanctioned by the U.S. for being key supporters of Iran's military programs. These institutions have been involved in supplying goods needed for the Shiraz Electronic Industries Company, which itself was placed on the U.S. sanctions list on September 17, 2008. Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department has also sanctioned two Iranian organizations involved in Iran's ballistic missile program. The State Department stated in a statement: 'The United States is deeply concerned about Iran's malign activities in the Middle East, which threaten regional stability, security, and progress.' According to this statement, Iran's activities have negated any 'positive engagement' in regional and international peace and security that was supposed to result from the nuclear agreement. The sanctioned organizations in the State Department's list are accused of supporting groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas, the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria, and the Houthi rebels in Yemen. The organizations listed include the 'Self-Sufficiency Aerospace Organization of the IRGC' and the 'Self-Sufficiency and Research Organization of the IRGC.' The last time the U.S. imposed sanctions was in May this year, coinciding with the confirmation of Iran's compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, to demonstrate its hardline stance against Tehran, when it placed seven Iranian and Chinese individuals and entities on the sanctions list for their involvement in the Islamic Republic's ballistic missile activities. Tehran is accused of repeatedly conducting ballistic missile tests that could be used to carry nuclear warheads, despite UN Security Council Resolution 2231. Resolution 2231 was issued after the Vienna nuclear agreement to endorse it, requesting Iran to refrain from developing ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Iran argues that its missile tests do not contradict the nuclear agreement, stating that 'the tested missiles were not designed to carry nuclear warheads.'