US Expands Anti-Iran Sanctions Over Ballistic Missile Program

The US Treasury and State Departments together sanctioned 18 individuals and entities tied to the Iranian military and Tehran’s ballistic missile program, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said in a statement on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Separately, the State Department sanctioned two Iranian organizations said to be involved in the country’s ballistic missile program.

"OFAC designated 16 entities and individuals for engaging in support of illicit Iranian actors or transnational criminal activity," the statement said.

The US has also imposed sanctions on one Turkish and four Chinese companies over their alleged links to the Iranian ballistic missile program.

"Today, OFAC [Office of Foreign Assets Control] designated China-based procurement agent Emily Liu and four associated entities…for proliferation activities related to a key supporter of Iran's military," the statement said.

In addition, the US imposed sanctions on Ramor Group, a Turkey-based firm that distributes marine equipment.

Meanwhile, the Iranian parliament adopted a bill Tuesday aimed at countering "US adventurous and terrorist measures in the region."

The Iranian parliament introduced the bill as a response to the US Senate's bill targeting Russia and Iran with new sanctions, which was passed on June 15 and still awaits a vote in the US House of Representatives.

On Monday, media reported that US President Donald Trump's administration was planning to impose new sanctions on Iran over its ballistic missile program and alleged support of terrorism.

On June 16, Ali Akbar Velayati, a top adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, noted that the US Senate's decision to impose new sanctions was a clear violation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) deal, signed by Iran, the European Union and the so-called P5+1 group — the United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom, plus Germany — in 2015.