U.S. Imposes New Iran Sanctions; Iran’s Isolation Grows

David Streeter — December 1, 2010 – 3:06 pm | Barack Obama | Foreign Policy | Iran | Terrorism Comments (0) Add a comment

The United States has imposed more sanctions on certain Iranian companies because of their links to the Iranian government’s nuclear weapons program. According to the Los Angeles Times:

Late Tuesday, the U.S. Treasury Department cited five Iranian corporate officials and 10 businesses as having ties to either Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines or Bank Mellat, which the U.S. had previously blacklisted, alleging they support Iran’s nuclear and military programs.

The companies included a Malaysian-based firm and what the U.S. described as eight front companies for Iran’s state-owned shipping firm. The U.S. also named and described a group of Iranian officials with ties to the entities. United Nations, U.S. and European regulations bar dealings with any company linked to Iran’s nuclear or weapons program.

‘As long as Iran uses front companies, cut-outs and other forms of deception to hide its illicit activities, we intend to expose this conduct and thereby counteract Iran’s attempts to evade U.S. and international sanctions,’ U.S. Treasury Undersecretary Stuart Levey said in a news release.

Also, The Jerusalem Post reported that U.S. sanctions against Iran have caused European gas companies to contemplate refusing fuel to the plane belonging to Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki. Because of this, Mottaki has reportedly canceled his trip to Europe during which he would have attended multiple international conferences. This report is further proof that the global sanctions effort led by President Barack Obama is amplifying Iran’s international isolation due to its pursuit of nuclear weapons.

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