Details of new US sanctions against the Islamic Republic; names of sanctioned individuals and entities

The United States government announced a new round of sanctions on individuals and entities on Monday, September 21. According to a statement released by the US State Department on Monday, the new sweeping sanctions will be applied to pressure Iran’s missile, nuclear, and conventional weapons programs.

Parts of this leaflet are as follows:

All UN sanctions against Iran were effectively reinstated at 8 p.m. ET on September 19. The United States also imposed sanctions on September 21 in support of these UN measures, as follows:

– Iranian individuals who have been directly involved in Iran’s activities that have led to Iran’s accumulation of enriched uranium beyond its commitments.

– Iranian individuals against whom UN sanctions are being reimposed. Iranian individuals who support Iran’s ballistic missile programs or are associated with Iranian organizations that play a key role in Iran-North Korea missile cooperation.

– The Ministry of Defense and Support of the Armed Forces of Iran and Nicolas Maduro, the illegitimate dictator of Venezuela, under a new and sweeping measure of sanctions on transfers related to conventional arms, to and from Iran [to other parts of the world], issued by President Trump on September 21, 2020.

Now that virtually all UN sanctions against Iran have been reimposed, relevant parties around the world are on notice that the United States will use the full force of its UN sanctions powers to punish any failure to comply with the reimposed UN sanctions against Iran and to ensure that Iran does not benefit from activities that the UN considers illegal.

Measures related to Iran's nuclear activities

In recent months, Iran has not only continued its nuclear blackmail by expanding its uranium enrichment program, but has also failed to fully respond to the International Atomic Energy Agency's multiple and separate questions regarding its nuclear materials and undeclared activities.

Iran has failed to meet its commitments under the incomplete nuclear deal, including commitments related to the level of uranium enrichment and the size of Iran's enriched uranium stockpiles, research and development of advanced centrifuges, clandestine uranium enrichment at the previously secret Fordow nuclear facility, and heavy water stockpiles.

Such actions are unacceptable and demonstrate that Iran's nuclear program constitutes a continuing threat to global peace and security.

As a result of a US initiative at the United Nations, the organization's restrictions on Iran's nuclear program, including requiring Iran to comply with its commitment to suspend all uranium enrichment-related activities, were reinstated on September 19.

The US Departments of State, Treasury, and Commerce today took coordinated action to increase pressure on Iran's nuclear program in order to counter the threat posed by the Islamic Republic of Iran's regime.

Individuals and entities under new US sanctions: 

In the latest US sanctions against officials in the Islamic Republic of Iran, the US State Department announced that officials from the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, including Hamidreza Ghadirian and Ahmad Asghari Shivaei, who have been involved in Iran's uranium enrichment program, have been sanctioned.

Hamidreza Ghadrian, a director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, has played a role in equipping and installing advanced centrifuges and devices that increase the capacity to enrich uranium and store it in Iran.

Ahmad Asghari Shivaei, head of the Iranian Centrifuge Technology Company, is based at the Natanz enrichment complex and is involved in the assembly of uranium gas centrifuges.

The US Treasury Department has also placed Pejman Rahimian, Behrouz Kamalvandi, the Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute, Mesbah Energy Company, Iran Advanced Technologies Company, Javad Karimi Sabet, and Mohammad Qanadi on the sanctions list.

Pejman Rahimian is the deputy director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran for Raw Materials and Nuclear Fuel Affairs and the director of the Iranian Raw Materials and Nuclear Fuel Production Company. He has been involved in activities related to the domestic production of fuel required for Iran's nuclear reactor.

Behrouz Kamalvandi is the spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran. According to the US government, Kamalvandi played a pivotal role in the nuclear blackmail of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Among other things, he threatened Europe that if it did not help Iran, Iran would reduce its nuclear commitments.

Mesbah Energy Company also plays a role in Iran's heavy water production.

Javad Karimi Sabet is a deputy director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran who, in addition to his other responsibilities, works on research related to nuclear fuel.

Mohammad Qanadi is also the deputy director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and head of the Strategic Planning and Monitoring Department.

The US Department of Commerce has also added five Iranians to a list that requires a license from the department to sell, export, or transfer goods in their names. These individuals are Ahmad Nozwad Gholik, Behnam Pour-Emadi, Hamid Sepehriyan, Mojtaba Farhadi Ganja, and Seyed Javad Ahmadi.

Behnam Pour-Emadi, Hamid Sepehrian, and Mojtaba Farhadi-Ganjah are linked to the Jaber Bin Hayan Laboratory and the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Laboratory, which was sanctioned by the UN Security Council in a previous round of sanctions. These individuals have been involved in the procurement of sensitive goods for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran.

Ahmad Nozwad Qolik is an associate of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran who has been involved in various projects at Iranian nuclear sites. He and Seyyed Javad Ahmadi, an employee of the Atomic Energy Organization, have been involved in procuring sensitive goods for the organization through other countries.

The US Treasury Department has also imposed sanctions on companies and individuals associated with Iran's missile program, including the Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group, which has played a role in developing Iran's liquid-fuel ballistic missile program.

Ahmad Esmaeilpour and Mohammad Gholami have also been added to the sanctions list. Ahmad Esmaeilpour is the head of the Shahid Haj Ali Movahed Research Center at the Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group and a senior official in the Iranian Aerospace Organization.

Mohammad Gholami was also a senior official at the Shahid Haj Ali Movahed Research Center for a long time. Both men played a role in the production and launch of Iran's space carrier rocket, which was carried out with the help of North Korea.

The U.S. Treasury Department has updated sanctions on the Haj Ali Movahed Research Center, which has played a key role in North Korea’s missile program. The department also updated sanctions on Seyyed Mir Ahmad Noushin, former director of Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group and current director of the Iranian Aerospace Organization, who played a key role in negotiations with North Korea to develop Iran’s long-range missiles.

The US Treasury Department also added two legal entities and three natural persons to the sanctions list for providing logistical support to Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group. Accordingly, Mammoth Industrial Group and Mammoth Diesel are major producers of military and dual-use products for Iran’s missile industry.

Mehrzad Ferdows and Behzad Ferdows, owners of Mammoth Industrial Group, and Mohammad Reza Dezfulian, who has acted on behalf of Mammoth Diesel, were also added to the Treasury Department's sanctions list.

The US Secretary of State also imposed sanctions on the Islamic Republic’s conventional weapons development programs. Accordingly, the Iranian Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Support sanctioned the Iranian Defense Industries Organization and its head, Mehrdad Akhlaqi Ketabchi, along with Venezuela’s illegitimate dictator Nicolas Maduro, for engaging in or attempting to engage in exchanges of military goods with Iran, including spare parts.

Maduro ignored UN arms embargoes on Iran for two years. Mehrdad Akhlaqi Ketabchi, head of the Iranian Defense Industries Organization, and the Iranian Ministry of Defense have been involved in military goods exchanges with Venezuela.

Source: Voice of America