WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? Seeking to increase sanctions pressure on Iran, the U.S. Treasury on Thursday said it blacklisted a major Iranian port operator and the country's national airline, Iran Air.
The actions target two key segments of Iran's transport infrastructure that the Treasury said were being used to aid Tehran's efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction.
The actions prohibit U.S. entities from any transactions with Tidewater Middle East Co., which operates seven port facilities in Iran, and Iran Air, which serves 35 international and 25 domestic destinations with a fleet of about 40 aircraft.
The Treasury's designation of the firms as weapons proliferators also seeks to freeze any assets they may have under U.S. jurisdiction.
In a statement, the Treasury said Tidewater was blacklisted because it is owned by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the elite military group that the United States says plays a central role in Iran's illicit conduct, including nuclear and ballistic missile development, support for terrorism and human rights abuses.
U.S. officials say that the Revolutionary Guards are taking over significant segments of Iran's economy as international sanctions on Iranian state banks make it difficult for private firms to operate.
The Treasury said the Tidewater-managed ports have been used to export arms or handle related materiel in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, including the main Shahid Rajaee container terminal at Bandar Abbas. Other ports affected by the sanctions include the Bandar Imam Khomeini grain terminal, and facilities at Bandar Anzali, Khorramshar, Assaluyeh, Aprin and Amir Abad
Treasury said Iran Air and its Iran Air Tours subsidiary were put on the sanctions list because its passenger aircraft have on numerous occasions transported military related electronic parts on behalf of Iran's Ministry of Defense and Armed ForcesLogistics organization. The shipments have also included missiles, rockets and titanium sheets, a dual-use material that can be used in advanced weapons systems, the Treasury said.
(Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Diane Craft)
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