02 January 2015
US treasury designates additional Iranian entities for sanctions evasion
On Tuesday, the US Treasury designated an additional nine individuals and entities for assisting Iran to evade US sanctions. Seven of the new entries were designated for allegedly assisting Iran’s illicit purchase of US banknotes; two are IT companies allegedly involved in providing cyber-related support to human rights abuses.
An Iranian spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded by describing the designations as “a blatant violation of US goodwill” and a violation of the terms of the ongoing Geneva talks regarding Iran’s nuclear programme. None of the new designations were nuclear-related, however.
Also announced by the Treasury were updates to the names and identities of 30 vessels belonging to the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL), Iran’s state-owned shipping line. The US and European Union have previously designated IRISL for providing support to Iran’s proliferation-sensitive activities.
The full Treasury press release is available here.