U.S. Unveils New Round of Sanctions Against Iran

On Wednesday, the United States imposed new sanctions on Iran's ballistic missile and drone production, continuing the Trump administration's "maximum pressure" campaign against Tehran.

Thirty-two individuals and entities in Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, China, Hong Kong, India, Germany and Ukraine were blacklisted Wednesday on accusations of operating weapons procurement networks for Iran, The Caspian Post reports citing foreign media.

According to the U.S. Treasury, Iran is seeking to reconstitute its proliferation capabilities following its 12-day armed conflict with Israel in mid-June, and the sanctions announced Thursday are to hinder that effort by blocking proliferation networks from accessing the U.S. financial system.

"Across the globe, Iran exploits financial systems to launder funds, procure components for its nuclear and conventional weapons programs, and support its terrorist proxies," Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John Hurley said in a statement.

"At the direction of President Trump, we are putting maximum pressure on Iran to end its nuclear threat."

Iran -- and its nuclear capabilities -- has been a focal point of Trump's foreign policy since his first term. In 2018, he unilaterally withdrew the United States from the Obama-era landmark multinational Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, calling it "defective at its core," and reimposed sweeping sanctions designed to force Iran back to the negotiating table.