US Sanctions Several Iran-Linked Transportation Companies

The US Secretary of State announced new sanctions on Wednesday, December 20, in continuation of the maximum pressure policy against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Mike Pompeo said several transportation companies that were involved in “the transfer of weapons of mass destruction” related to Iran would be sanctioned.

The United States has also placed Abdolhossein Khaderi, CEO of Khaderi Global Shipping Company, on its sanctions list on charges of links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The US Treasury Department also reported that it has placed Abdolhossein Khaderi on the sanctions list in connection with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Mr. Khaderi is the chairman of the board of “Khaderi Global Shipping” company, which, according to his claims, launched the first direct shipping line between Iran and Oman in 2015 with the aim of “transporting engineering equipment and fruits and vegetables.”

On Wednesday, the US Treasury not only sanctioned this company but also placed the Maritime Silk Road company based in Oman and two vessels “Ganaveh 1 and Ganaveh 2” in connection with Mr. Khaderi on the sanctions list.

GATEWICK air freight services company based in Dubai, GOMEI air services company based in Hong Kong, and JAHAN DESTINATIONS travel and tourism company are other companies that have now been added to the US sanctions list in connection with Iran.

Mike Pompeo said Washington has also targeted three ticket sales agents for Mahan Air with double sanctions due to the role this airline has played in the transfer of weapons of mass destruction.

Simultaneously, the US Treasury Department released the name of one individual and several companies, including an updated list of dozens of aircraft owned by Mahan that are on the sanctions list.

Mike Pompeo said these companies “are being sanctioned for transporting deadly cargo from Iran to Yemen and weapons of mass destruction.”

According to an explanation provided by the US Secretary of State, these companies had been removed from sanctions at the time of the signing of the JCPOA; a move that Mike Pompeo described as “very wrong.”

Since 2011, the United States had placed Mahan Air on its sanctions list due to “links to the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps” and “the transfer of forces and weapons.”

Officals of the Islamic Republic of Iran previously rejected allegations that they were transferring weapons for the Syrian government and Hezbollah of Lebanon using passenger aircraft.

The United States withdrew from the JCPOA in May of last year and has implemented strict sanctions against Iran to “force Tehran to come to the negotiating table.”

Mr. Pompeo said on Wednesday that he had discussed further sanctions against Iran with his Chinese counterpart during the current week and added that he had asked China not to buy oil from Iran.

The US Secretary of State emphasized that these sanctions are not against China and not against the Iranian people but against the regional policies of the Islamic Republic.

He also referred to the issue of prisoner exchange between Iran and the United States at the end and said he hopes that the exchange that took place will lead to broader efforts to free other American prisoners held in Iran.

Xiao Wang, an American prisoner in Iran, was exchanged on December 7 with Masoud Soleimani, a researcher in the field of stem cells and a member of the faculty of Tarbiat Modares University, who was detained in the United States.

Source: Radio Farda