The United States announced on Wednesday that it is sanctioning Iranian individuals and entities related to its ballistic-missile program.
The designation is pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13382, which targets proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery for their involvement in Iran’s ballistic missile-related activities.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that the action comes following “Iran’s recent missile attack on Erbil, Iraq, as well as missile attacks by Iranian proxies against Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. These attacks are a reminder that Iran’s development and proliferation of ballistic missiles pose a serious threat to regional and international security.”
According to the U.S. State Department, the sanctioned entities include Iranian procurement agent Mohammad Ali Hosseini and four companies in his network—Iran-based Jestar Sanat Delijan, Sina Composite Delijan Company, Sayehban Sepehr Delijan and P.B. Sadr Company—all of which have been involved in efforts to procure equipment used to produce ballistic-missile propellant and related materials in support of Iran’s missile program.
The State Department said that the international procurement network operated on behalf of the IRGC Research and Self-Sufficiency Jihad Organization (RSSJO) and Parchin Chemical Industries (PCI) is designated for sanctions by the United Nations under U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231.
“Iran’s ballistic missile-related activities continue to destabilize the Middle East region, and the United States will continue to use every tool at our disposal to disrupt them,” said Blinken. “We will also continue working with others in the region to hold Iran accountable for its actions, including violations of the sovereignty of its neighbors.”
