The US Department of the Treasury announced on Tuesday (April 29) the imposition of sanctions on a procurement network based in Iran and China (CCP), accusing the network of representing the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in purchasing ballistic missile propellant materials. At the same time this news was announced, the Trump administration is seeking to exert greater pressure on Tehran.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department stated that sanctions would be imposed on six entities and six individuals. Previously, the Trump administration had restarted negotiations with Tehran on the issue of the Iranian nuclear program.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated in the announcement, “Iran is actively developing missile and other weapon capabilities that threaten the security of the United States and our partners.”
“It also destabilizes the Middle East and violates global agreements aimed at preventing the proliferation of these technologies,” the statement continued, “In order to achieve peace through strength, the Treasury Department will continue to take all available measures to cut off Iran’s access to resources necessary to advance its missile program.”
These sanctions target five companies located in China, one company located in Iran, and six individuals in Iran. The US Treasury Department alleges that the network facilitated Iran’s procurement of sodium perchlorate and dioctyl sebacate from China.
The US Treasury Department points out that sodium perchlorate can be used to produce ammonium perchlorate, and both ammonium perchlorate and dioctyl sebacate can be used in solid rocket propellant engines, which are commonly used in ballistic missiles.
Tuesday’s action is the latest in a series of steps taken by the US since Trump reinstated the policy of “maximum pressure” on Iran. The US government has also taken other actions, including efforts to reduce Iran’s oil exports to zero in order to prevent its development of nuclear weapons.
During his first term from 2017 to 2021, Trump withdrew the US from the Iran nuclear deal, which was reached in 2015 between Iran and major world powers. The Trump administration subsequently reimposed comprehensive sanctions on Iran.
Iran has far exceeded the limits set by the agreement in terms of uranium enrichment.
Western nations accuse Iran of secretly advancing its nuclear weapons capabilities, one means of achieving this goal is by enriching uranium to high purity fissile material levels beyond what is reasonable for civilian nuclear projects. However, Tehran claims that its nuclear program is solely for civilian energy purposes.
(This article referenced reporting from Reuters)