WASHINGTON, April 9 (KUNA) -- The US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Wednesday designated five entities and one individual based in Iran for their support to key entities that manage and oversee Iran's nuclear program, including the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) and the AEOI-subordinate Iran Centrifuge Technology Company (TESA). "Today's action, which targets entities procuring, or manufacturing, critical technologies for TESA and AEOI, is taken in furtherance of US policy that Iran be denied a nuclear weapon, as stated in National Security Presidential Memorandum 2," the department said in a press release.
"The Iranian regime's reckless pursuit of nuclear weapons remains a grave threat to the United States and a menace to regional stability and global security," said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. "Treasury will continue to leverage our tools and authorities to disrupt any attempt by Iran to advance its nuclear program and its broader destabilizing agenda," he added.
Today's action was taken pursuant to Executive Order 13382, which targets proliferators of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their means of delivery, according to the statement. The President included AEOI in the Annex of E.O. 13382 and the US Department of State re-designated AEOI on January 30, 2020. The Treasury designated TESA on November 21, 2011. TESA routinely collaborates on projects in support of AEOI.
Meanwhile, Spokesperson of the State Department Tammy Bruce said the Department designated Ansarallah, commonly referred to as the Houthis, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, fulfilling one of President Trump's first promises upon taking office. As President Trump laid out in Executive Order 14175, "the Houthis' activities threaten the security of American civilians and personnel in the Middle East, the safety of our closest regional partners, and the stability of global maritime trade," she noted.
The United States will not tolerate any country or commercial entity providing support to foreign terrorist organizations, such as the Houthis, including offloading ships and provisioning oil at Houthi-controlled ports, Bruce said, adding that such actions risk violating US law. (end) rsr.rg.gb