Azernews.Az

By Kamila Aliyeva

The U.S. has decided to exert additional pressure on Islamic Republic by expanding sanctions over Iran’s ballistic missile development and said that Tehran's "malign activities" in the Middle East undercut any "positive contributions" coming from the 2015 Iran nuclear accord.

The United States brought 18 organizations and individuals to the list of sanctions on Iran's missile program, the State Department and the U.S. Treasury Department said in statements, RIA Novosti reported.

In particular, the list of sanctions included two Iranian organizations that the U.S. believes are involved in the ballistic missile program, seven organizations and five private individuals supporting the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), the elite component of the Armed Forces, as well as a "criminal organization, two Iranian businessmen and a company that organized the theft of American and Western computer programs," the U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement.

The State Department in its statement reiterated the long list of U.S. claims to Iran, including support for Hezbollah, Hamas and the Islamic Palestinian Jihad, "threats to Israel and stability in the Middle East," support for Syrian authorities and Husit rebels in Yemen.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told CBS News in an interview that the sanctions "poison the atmosphere" and violate the "spirit" of the nuclear agreement.

Earlier, the U.S. confirmed that Iran is in compliance with the terms of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) for the nuclear program.

The Iran nuclear deal was negotiated in July 2015 between Iran, the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and Germany. By ratifying the plan, Iran agreed to scale down its nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.

The agreement envisions that in return for verifiable abiding by its commitments, Iran receives relief from U.S., European Union, and UN Security Council nuclear-related economic sanctions.

At the same time, the U.S. retains sanctions against Iran on the missile program, human rights and on suspicion that Tehran sponsors terrorism.

Currently, presidential administration is reviewing policy on Iran, not only looking at Tehran's compliance with the nuclear deal but also its behavior in the region.

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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

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