US imposes fresh sanctions on Iran over missile test

The United States imposed fresh sanctions on Iran Friday in response to a ballistic missile test over the weekend as President Donald Trump signalled that his administration will take a tougher tone with Tehran. The US Treasury Department added 13 individuals and 12 companies to its sanctions list for their role in Iran’s ballistic missile […]

The United States imposed fresh sanctions on Iran Friday in response to a ballistic missile test over the weekend as President Donald Trump signalled that his administration will take a tougher tone with Tehran.

The US Treasury Department added 13 individuals and 12 companies to its sanctions list for their role in Iran’s ballistic missile programme as well as for providing support to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force.

The fresh sanctions are not in violation of the international Iranian nuclear deal but come under a separate sanctions framework that allows the US to target Tehran over its missile programme, support for terrorism and other matters.

The Treasury Department sanctions take aim at "a critical Iranian procurement agent" and those associated with his network in Iran and China, as well as other individuals connected to Iran’s Mabrooka Trading, which had previously been sanctioned for procurement activities.

Trump made clear Thursday that a military response remained a possibility after the White House warned Tehran over its missile launch at the weekend.

"Nothing’s off the table," Trump told reporters when asked about military action, a day after his national security advisor had issued the warning.

Michael Flynn said Wednesday the White House was "officially putting Iran on notice" and criticized the country’s "destabilizing behaviour across the Middle East."

The move was a violation of UN Security Council resolution 2231, which prohibits Iran from taking any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering a nuclear weapon, Flynn said.

Iranian Foreign Minsiter Mohammad Javad Zarif meanwhile defended his country’s missile programme and rejected US criticism.

"We’ll never initiate war, but we can only rely on our own means of defense," Zarif said on Twitter on Friday.

"We will never use our weapons against anyone, except in self-defense. Let us see if any of those who complain can make the same statement," Zarif said in a later tweet.

Iran maintains the missile cannot carry a nuclear warhead and the test was not in violation of the 2015 UN Security Council resolution.

The White House however says the medium-range missile launched Sunday was "inherently capable" of being used to launch a nuclear weapon.

The move freezes any assets the sanctioned parties might have in US banks and prohibits US companies and people from doing business with them. (DPA)