US Imposes Iran-Related Sanctions on Investment Company, Individual, Treasury Says

On 26 April, The New York Times newspaper reported, citing sources in the US administration, that Washington plans to force either an extension of the arms embargo against Iran or re-impose harsher sanctions if the UN Security Council declines to extend the arms embargo.

The US has imposed Iran-related sanctions on Taif Mining Services in Oman and an individual named Amir Dianat, linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the US Treasury said on its website.

According to the website, Dianat, who is also known as Ameer Abdulazeez Jaafar Almthaje, is "involved in IRGC-QF efforts to generate revenue and smuggle weapons abroad".

The Treasury also stated that Taif Mining Services is "owned, controlled, or directed by Dianat".

Moreover, the statement said the US Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia had filed criminal charges against Dianat and one of his business associates for allegedly violating sanctions and money laundering laws. The statement added that the US Attorney's Office is seeking to seize $12 million in forfeitures from Dianat.

"The Iranian regime and its supporters continue to prioritize the funding of international terrorist organizations over the health and well-being of the Iranian people. The United States remains committed to working with financial institutions, non-profit organizations, and international partners to facilitate humanitarian trade and assistance to the Iranian people", Steven Mnuchin said, as quoted by the US Treasury's website.

According to The New York Times, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has been working on a plan to invoke a provision of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) to claim that the US formally remains a participating nation in the accord, which it abandoned in 2018.

Since May 2018, Washington has re-introduced wide-ranging sanctions against Tehran, including sanctions on the oil production sector. The United States has vowed to drive Iran's oil exports down to zero and demanded that other countries stop any purchases from the country or risk being sanctioned.

In response, Tehran also discontinued its commitments.

The JCPOA was signed by Iran, China, Russia, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union in 2015. According to the agreement, Iran was set to scale back its nuclear programme and severely downgrade its uranium reserves in exchange for sanctions relief.