The United States expanded sanctions against Iran's petroleum and petrochemical sectors on Friday in response to an Iranian missile attack on Israel.
The U.S. move adds petroleum and petrochemicals to an executive order that targets key sectors of Iran's economy with the aim of denying the government funds to support its nuclear and missile programs.
Friday’s measures add Iran’s oil and petrochemical industries to a list of sectors that Washington says Tehran uses to fund its ballistic missiles and nuclear programs, allowing further sanctions against them.
But Iranian oil and petrochemicals are already under heavy US sanctions.
The State Department sanctioned six entities and six vessels on Friday, while the Treasury targeted 17 ships.
The vessels are registered in the United Arab Emirates, China and Panama, among other places.
The sanctions will freeze the entities’ assets in the US and generally make it illegal for Americans to engage in financial transactions with them.
Further information is available at:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy2644&ved=2ahUKEwjj77v5l4iJAxVA3gIHHcn6FZ8QFnoECB8QAQ&usg=AOvVaw3VIw86wyjmkqkIMgyEdnYo