LOC01:29
22:29 GMT
WASHINGTON, May 21 (KUNA) -- The United States classified on Wednesday Iran's construction sector as under control of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which Washington considers a foreign terrorist organization.
The US stated that it will impose sanctions on anyone who sells, supplies or transfers, to the Iranian construction sector, while intensifying economic and diplomatic pressure on Iran to abandon its nuclear program.
The US Department of State said in a statement that under "Section 1245 of the Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act (IFCA) of 2012," it made two findings that have implications for sanctions.
First being is "identifying 10 strategic materials as being used in connection with the nuclear, military, or ballistic missile programs of Iran," and secondly, "identifying Iran's construction sector as being controlled directly or indirectly by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)."
The US Department of State emphasized that "any person that knowingly sells, supplies, or transfers, directly or indirectly, these materials to or from Iran (regardless of end-use or end-user) will now be subject to mandatory sanctions."
Similarly, it added that trading "raw and semi-finished metals, graphite, coal, and software for integrating industrial purposes will be subject to mandatory sanctions if those materials are to be used in connection with the Iranian construction sector."
It affirmed that the US "will continue to impose maximum economic pressure on the Iranian regime to end Iran's nuclear threat, curtail its ballistic missile program, and stop its support for terrorist groups."
In keeping with increasing economic pressure on Iran through sanctions, Washington is engaged in talks with Tehran with Omani mediation, in an attempt to reach an agreement on the nuclear program.
US President Donald Trump signed a memorandum in early February to reinstate the 'maximum pressure' policy on Iran, a policy has administration adopted during its first term, pressuring Iran economically, as well as withdrawing from the nuclear agreement with it.
According to the text of the memorandum revealed by the White House, "the maximum pressure will be exerted on the Islamic Republic of Iran, depraving Iran of all means to obtain nuclear weapons and confronting Iranian influence." (end)
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