The United States is imposing additional sanctions on Iran as a result of Tehran’s attack on US troops in Iraq this week.
US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a joint news conference that the new measures would target eight senior Iranian officials involved in “destabilising” activities in the Middle East.
Mnuchin said US President Donald Trump would issue an executive order imposing sanctions on anyone involved in the Iranian textile, construction, manufacturing or mining sectors.
He said separate sanctions would also be imposed against the steel and iron sectors.
Mnuchin says as a result of these actions, the US will cut off billions of dollars of support to the Iranian regime adding that waivers would be issued for anyone who would help with the investigation of Wednesday’s plane crash that killed 176 people in Iran.
The administration has already reinstated all the US sanctions that were eased under the 2015 nuclear deal, which has caused significant economic hardship in Iran and cut its oil exports to historic lows.
Iran carried out the missile strikes in retaliation for the US drone attack that killed Iran’s Revolutionary Guard General Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad last week.
