Iran has imposed sanctions against 15 U.S. companies for their cooperation with Israel and alleged human rights violations, the Iranian state news agency IRNA reported.
Although the impact of the new Iranian-imposed sanctions has yet to be fully assessed, IRNA added the sanctions would include a ban on communication with the American companies in question as well as the seizure of assets.
The Iranian sanctions were announced only two days after the U.S. imposed fresh sanctions of its own on 30 foreign firms and individuals for their roles in transferring sensitive technology to Tehran. The firms in question assisted the Iranian missile program and violated export regulations related to North Korea, Syria and Iran, the U.S. said.
In a separate initiative put forth in the U.S. Senate last week, bipartisan leaders introduced a bill that heavily sanctions Iran for its missile program and sponsorship of terror proxies operating throughout the Middle East.
The proposed sanctions cover Iranian bodies previously relieved of sanctions in the 2015 nuclear agreement that was brokered and implemented by the Obama administration.
Iran has implied the bill would violate the nuclear accord, but Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), a co-author of the bill, told Reuters the legislation has been composed in a way that does not affect the agreement. “We assiduously worked to make sure that no provisions actually affect the agreement as it is,” said Menendez. JNS.ORG
