The US has sanctioned five Iranian firms which Washington say is involved in the country's ballistic missile program, thus breaking the spirit of Iran's nuclear deal with the P5+1 countries.

The Trump administration's latest salvo against Tehran comes despite the UN aligned International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) consistently confirming Iran's full compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The new economic measures against five Iranian-based entities of the Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group prohibits American firms from doing business with the firms. The sanctions further stipulates 'freezing' its properties in the US. "These sanctions target key entities involved in Iran's ballistic missile program, which the Iranian regime prioritizes over the economic well-being of the Iranian people," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.

The US accuses the five companies of providing launchers, guidance systems, and propellants for Iran’s missile program, which Washington believes violates the goodwill of the 2015 nuclear deal, the signature foreign policy achievement of Barack Obama's presidency which Donald Trump has vowed to tear apart.

The deal, sealed by the US, UK, Russia, France, China, and Germany, places limitations on Iran's controversial nuclear energy program in return for the lifting of economic sanctions on Iran. There was, however, no agreement among the P5+1 to push for binding restrictions on Iran's ballistic-missile program. The IAEA has repeatedly confirmed that Iran is in full compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also called the Iran deal.

Washington, however, claims that Tehran's missile program violates UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorsed Tehran’s nuclear deal with the P5+1 states – the five permanent members of the UNSC plus Germany. The new sanctions come just days before the US deadline to make a decision on whether or not to certify Iran's compliance with the nuclear agreement.

Over the last few days, Trump has attacked Iran on Twitter, accusing the previous administration of funding terrorism by signing the landmark accord. The US president, along with senior administration officials have also expressed vociferous support for the anti-government protesters in the Central Asian country who are rallying against socio-economic conditions in the country.

On Thursday, Mnuchin echoed Trump's policy, warning that Washington might soon slap additional sanctions on Iran which will target the country's perceived human right abuses amid the deadly anti-government protests in the country. "The United States will continue to decisively counter the Iranian regime's malign activity, including additional sanctions targeting human rights abuses. We will not hesitate to call out the regime's economic mismanagement, and diversion of significant resources to fund threatening missile systems at the expense of its citizenry."

Trump's increasingly hostile stance towards Iran comes at a time when Tehran accused its detractors of interfering in their domestic affairs. Undeterred, Trump tweeted Wednesday, "You will see great support from the United States at the appropriate time!"

READ MORE: Iran slams ‘grotesque’ US meddling & calls for regime change through social media

Amid the rapidly escalating tensions, Moscow warned Washington against meddling in Iran’s internal affairs, critisizing the US for using the situation in the Islamic Republic to scupper the nuclear agreement with Tehran. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov pointed out to his American counterparts that the P5+1 initiative was not a bilateral agreement and therefore cannot be unilaterally amended.

“The current situation, when Washington falls to the temptation to use the moment to raise new issues regarding the JCPOA, shows the deliberate attempt to undermine and shatter the international community's commitment the JCPOA,” Ryabkov told TASS Thursday.</s>The U.S. Treasury Department's sanctions come amid anti-government protests in Iran, which have received vocal support from the White House. | Karen Bleier/AFP/Getty Images Treasury sanctions Iranian entities linked to ballistic missile production

The Treasury Department on Thursday sanctioned five Iranian entities linked to the country’s ballistic missile program.

The action comes amid anti-government protests in Iran, which have received vocal support from the White House.

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President Donald Trump must also decide by Jan. 11 whether to continue waiving economic sanctions against the country, which were lifted as part of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Those waivers must be renewed every 120 days.

The entities sanctioned today are affiliated with Iran’s Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group, which develops and produces missiles, Treasury said. The U.S. will freeze any financial assets of the designated entities that are within U.S. jurisdiction, and Americans are prohibited from dealing with them commercially.

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The Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group itself is already sanctioned by the U.S. The new entities sanctioned are Shahid Kharrazi Industries; Shahid Sanikhani Industries; Shahid Moghaddam Industries; Shahid Eslami Research Center, and Shahid Shustari Industries. Each are responsible for different stages of development for ballistic missiles, Treasury said.

“These sanctions target key entities involved in Iran’s ballistic missile program, which the Iranian regime prioritizes over the economic well-being of the Iranian people,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.

</s>The U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions Thursday against five "Iran-based entities subordinate to a key element of Iran's ballistic missile program." The five entities targeted are subsidiaries of Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group (SBIG), which is part of Iran's Defense Ministry. While Shahid is already under U.S. sanctions, the new designations ensure its subsidiaries are also punished.

"These sanctions target key entities involved in Iran's ballistic missile program, which the Iranian regime prioritizes over the economic well-being of the Iranian people," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement. "As the Iranian people suffer, their government and the IRGC fund foreign militants, terrorist groups, and human rights abuses."

"The United States will continue to decisively counter the Iranian regime's malign activity, including additional sanctions targeting human rights abuses," Mnuchin added.

The sanctions come after a week of protests in Iran, although the sanctions are not related to the unrest, The Associated Press reports. Last month U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley showed reporters missile parts with logos suggesting they were manufactured by Shahid. Haley said the fragments were recovered from missiles Iran-backed Houthi rebels launched at Saudi Arabia in Yemen.</s>The Treasury announced new sanctions Thursday on five Iranian entities affiliated with the country's ballistic missile program.



All five Iranian entities are subordinates of the Iranian company Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group.

The new restrictions will prevent the entities from dealing financially with U.S. citizens and financial institutions. 



The announcement comes as tens of thousands of Iranians have taken to the streets, including in the nation's capital of Tehran, to protest the government.</s>The Treasury Department on Thursday sanctioned five Iranian entities linked to the country’s ballistic missile program.

The action comes amid anti-government protests in Iran, which have received vocal support from the White House.

President Donald Trump must also decide by Jan. 11 whether to continue waiving economic sanctions against the country, which were lifted as part of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Those waivers must be renewed every 120 days.

The entities sanctioned today are affiliated with Iran’s Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group, which develops and produces missiles, Treasury said. The U.S. will freeze any financial assets of the designated entities that are within U.S. jurisdiction, and Americans are prohibited from dealing with them commercially.

The Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group itself is already sanctioned by the U.S. The new entities sanctioned are Shahid Kharrazi Industries; Shahid Sanikhani Industries; Shahid Moghaddam Industries; Shahid Eslami Research Center, and Shahid Shustari Industries. Each are responsible for different stages of development for ballistic missiles, Treasury said.

“These sanctions target key entities involved in Iran’s ballistic missile program, which the Iranian regime prioritizes over the economic well-being of the Iranian people,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.</s>WASHINGTON -- The United States has imposed sanctions on five Iranian companies it says are involved in Tehran’s illegal ballistic-missile program.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on January 4 said the "sanctions target key entities involved in Iran's ballistic-missile program, which the Iranian regime prioritizes over the economic well-being of the Iranian people."

The five companies are subsidiaries of Iran's Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group (SBIG), an Iranian defense entity that is already under U.S. sanctions.

They were listed as Shahid Kharrazi Industries, Shahid Sanikhani Industries, Shahid Moghaddam Industries, Shahid Eslami Research Center, and Shahid Shustari Industries.

At a December 14 news conference in Washington, Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, showed what she called was concrete evidence that Iran was supplying weaponry to the Huthi rebels in Yemen in violation of UN sanctions.

She displayed one of the fragments from a missile fired by the rebels toward Saudi Arabia that she said bore the logo of SBIG.

Under the new sanctions, any assets the firms hold in U.S. jurisdiction will be frozen and U.S. citizens will be barred from doing business with the companies.

A UN resolution passed in connection with the landmark 2015 Iran nuclear deal prohibited Tehran from supplying, selling, or transferring weapons unless the Security Council approved it. A separate UN resolution bans the supply of any weapons to the Huthi rebels in Yemen.

Although the sanctions were not directly related to the antigovernment protests that have erupted on the streets of Iran over the past week, Mnuchin said the authorities should spend more on public welfare than on banned weapons.

The protests began on December 28 in the country's second-largest city, Mashhad, initially over complaints of rising prices, but they have led to complaints over corruption and the lack of freedoms in the country.

"As the Iranian people suffer, their government and the [Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps] fund foreign militants, terrorist groups, and human rights abuses," he added.

"The United States will continue to decisively counter the Iranian regime's malign activity, including additional sanctions targeting human rights abuses."

President Donald Trump and the State Department have issued harsh criticism of the Iranian authorities for their crackdown on the protests and have threatened additional sanctions.

Iranian officials claim to have the unrest under control, with state television on January 4 showing video of pro-government counterdemonstrations in several cities, although the reports cannot be independently confirmed.

In its January 4 announcement, the U.S. State Department also said it had added three individuals linked to Al-Qaeda to its global terrorist list.

It identified the three as Muhammad al-Ghazali, Abukar Ali Adan, and Wanas al-Faqih, saying they were affiliated with either Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), Al-Shabaab, or Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

It added that Ghazali is a senior member of AQAP involved in internal security and the training of the group’s operatives.

Ali Adan is deputy leader of Al-Shabaab, which is active in Africa; while Faqih is an AQIM associate who planned the March 18, 2015, Bardo Museum attack in Tunis, Tunisia, that killed at least 20 people, it said.</s>The U.S. imposed sanctions on five entities tied to Iran's ballistic-missile program, seeking to punish Tehran for its management of the economy as thousands of Iranians protest against their government.

Treasury Department officials blamed Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other parts of the government for funding proxies across the Middle East despite the needs of the Iranian people at home.

"As the Iranian people suffer, their government and the IRGC fund foreign militants, terrorist groups, and human rights abuses," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Thursday. "We will not hesitate to call out the regime's economic mismanagement and diversion of significant resources to fund threatening missile systems at the expense of its citizenry."

Trump administration officials said they would be watching closely for human-rights abuses committed against protesters. "We have ample authorities to hold accountable those who commit violence against protesters, contribute to censorship, or steal from the people of Iran," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said.

The entities sanctioned on Thursday, which the administration has assessed are related to one another, are responsible for the development of guidance systems, solid propellants, motor cases and research for the country's missile program.

Officials at Iran's United Nations mission didn't respond to a request for comment.

The sanctions aren't related to Iran's nuclear program, which is covered by the 2015 international nuclear agreement under which Iran agreed not to advance its program and world powers agreed to lift economic sanctions.</s>WASHINGTON—The U.S. imposed sanctions on five entities tied to Iran’s ballistic-missile program, seeking to punish Tehran for its management of the economy as thousands of Iranians protest against their government.

Treasury Department officials blamed Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other parts of the government for funding proxies across the Middle East despite the needs of the Iranian people at home.</s>The United States on Thursday sanctioned five Iranian-based entities it said were owned or controlled by a industrial firm responsible for developing and producing Iran's solid-propellant ballistic missiles.

"These sanctions target key entities involved in Iran's ballistic missile program, which the Iranian regime prioritizes over the economic well-being of the Iranian people," U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.

The Treasury Department said the five sanctioned entities - the Shahid Eslami Research Center, Shahid Kharrazi Industries, Shahid Moghaddam Industries, Shahid Sanikhani Industries and Shahid Shustari Industries - were subordinated to the Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group.

The sanctions freeze any property the entities hold in the United States and prohibit Americans from dealing with them.</s>The U.S. Treasury placed sanctions Thursday on five Iranian-based entities either owned or controlled by the company responsible for developing and producing Iran’s solid-propellant ballistic missiles.

“These sanctions target key entities involved in Iran’s ballistic missile program, which the Iranian regime prioritizes over the economic well-being of the Iranian people,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.

The five sanctioned entities -- all owned or controlled by Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group -- are the Shahid Eslami Research Center, Shahid Kharrazi Industries, Shahid Moghaddam Industries, Shahid Sanikhani Industries and Shahid Shustari Industries, according to the U.S. Treasury statement.

Meanwhile Thursday, anti-government protests appeared to slow down in Iran while the United States vowed not to forget the 21 people killed in the week of demonstrations.

The U.S. State Department issued a new statement Thursday, condemning the deaths so far and the arrests of what it numbered as at least 1,000 Iranians.

"We have ample authorities to hold accountable those who commit violence against protesters, contribute to censorship, or steal from the people of Iran. To the regime’s victims, we say: You will not be forgotten," the statement said.

And a White House official said the U.S. would look for "actionable information" to try to impose new sanctions against those responsible for the crackdown on dissent. Iranian officials arrested hundreds of protesters in the last week.

In Iran, General Abdolrahim Mousavin, the head of the army, thanked security forces for "putting out the fire of sedition."

Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said that across the nation 42,000 people had taken part in the protests.

State television on Thursday showed huge crowds in 10 cities marching in support of Iranian leaders, including in Isfahan, Ardebil and Mashhad, where the protests started.

An adviser to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said, "The revolutionary Iranian people have responded in time to the enemies and trouble-makers by coming out on the streets."

But the adviser, Ali Akbar Velayati, told the semi-official ISNA news agency, "The people's main demand now is for the government and officials to deal with the economic problems."

Critics of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani say he has abandoned the poor by trying to raise fuel prices, which he said was necessary to fight unemployment. But parliament appears likely to reject his fuel price hike.

Nasser Laregani, vice-president of the economic affairs commission, said, "The population can no longer support a hike in petrol prices. In the current situation, where people are confronted with such a range of daily, economic problems, such a raise is an error."

Meanwhile, in Washington, a White House official said the U.S. would look for "actionable information" to try to impose new sanctions against those responsible for the crackdown on dissent. Iranian officials arrested hundreds of protesters in the last week.

The U.S. State Department, in a new statement, said, "We condemn in the strongest possible terms the deaths to date and the arrests of at least one thousand Iranians. We have ample authorities to hold accountable those who commit violence against protestors, contribute to censorship, or steal from the people of Iran. To the regime’s victims, we say: You will not be forgotten."

U.S. President Donald Trump several times tweeted his support for the demonstrators, saying Wednesday, "Such respect for the people of Iran as they try to take back their corrupt government. You will see great support from the United States at the appropriate time!"



 Trump is faced next week with a decision on whether to continue to waive sanctions against Iran that were suspended under the 2015 international agreement to curb Iran's nuclear weapons development. Trump has repeatedly attacked the agreement and assailed Tehran's military actions in Syria, Iran and Yemen.

Top Iranian leaders, including Khamenei, have blamed foreign governments for driving the protests.

Iran's U.N. ambassador, Gholamali Khoshroo, sent a letter Wednesday to the U.N. Security Council and U.N. chief Antonio Guterres saying that in "numerous absurd tweets" Trump and U.S. Vice President Mike Pence were "inciting Iranians to engage in disruptive acts."

"The current U.S. administration has crossed every limit in flouting rules and principles of international law governing the civilized conduct of international relations," Khoshroo wrote.

The U.S. delegation has asked the Security Council to hold an emergency meeting to discuss the protests, but so far none has been scheduled.

Meanwhile, Pence, in an interview with VOA, cited what he called Trump's "unapologetic willingness" to back the protesters.

"I know it is giving hope to the people on the streets of those cities across that country and we’re going to continue to support them in not just verbally, but as they bring about change in their country, I can assure you the United States and the wider world stands with the people of Iran who want a better and more prosperous and freer future," he said.

Germany, which along with the United States and four other world powers reached an agreement in 2015 with Iran to limit its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief, expressed concern about the situation in Iran, while saying people must be given a chance to peacefully protest.

"The right to free speech must be upheld," German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said. "We strongly advise against the use of this inner-Iranian conflict -- which has its background partly in the economy, partly in politics, which we can understand -- to use this conflict internationally."

In Geneva, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein also emphasized the right of Iranians to have their complaints heard and called for all deaths and serious injuries to be investigated. He urged authorities to "handle the wave of protests that have taken place around the country with great care so as not to further inflame violence and unrest."

The protests are the biggest outpouring of public discontent with Iran's clerical leaders since 2009 protests against the results of a disputed presidential election.

James Jeffrey, a distinguished fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and a former diplomat, said the current unrest is not likely to result in an overthrow of the Iranian government but still amounts to a significant problem.

"The underlying sentiment is broadly shared in the population," Jeffrey told VOA. "They have no participation in the economic growth of the country, they see their country involved in all of these foreign adventures in Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan, you name it, and they don’t see any benefit to them of that."
The U.S. Treasury sanctions five Iranian entities associated with Iran's ballistic missile program.