The US administration on 1 October announced a new round of sanctions against Iran in support of renewed UN Security Council restrictive measures against the country.
“The new sanctions and export controls will target 44 entities associated with Iran’s nuclear, missile and military programmes. As the US president has made clear, we will deny Iran all pathways to nuclear weapons,” said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The United Nations in late September renewed an arms embargo and other sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme following a process initiated by European states that Tehran warned would meet a tough response.
Britain, France and Germany initiated the return of sanctions against Iran at the UN Security Council over accusations it had violated a 2015 agreement aimed at halting the development of nuclear weapons. Iran denies seeking to have nuclear weapons.
Iran’s nuclear programme dates back to the 1950s, but since the early 2000s the country has been repeatedly accused of seeking to build weapons. In 2015, a nuclear agreement was signed that limited uranium enrichment in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. In 2018, the US unilaterally withdrew from the agreement, after which Iran resumed nuclear development.