US to sanction dozens of Iranians, entities: report

The U.S. will sanction dozens of Iranian people and entities involved with the country’s nuclear, missile and conventional arms programs, a senior U.S. official told Reuters. 

The official told the news outlet that more than two dozen Iranian people and businesses will be sanctioned, although some have already been sanctioned under other U.S. programs.  

Iran may have enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon by the end of 2020 and Iranian officials have started working with North Korea again to develop long-range missiles, the official noted. He did not give evidence for these claims and declined to say when the cooperation began, stopped and restarted, according to Reuters. 

“Iran is clearly doing everything it can to keep in existence a virtual turnkey capability to get back into the weaponization business at a moment’s notice should it choose to do so,” the U.S. official told Reuters.

The sanctions will come days after President Trump’s administration declared that United Nations sanctions against Iran have resumed, despite other countries disagreeing. They also convey a warning for other countries whose companies could take a hit for violating the sanctions. 

Trump plans to release an executive order on Monday issuing sanctions against those who buy and sell conventional arms, the official told Reuters, which had previously reported the plans.

The order would permit the U.S. to penalize those who buy or sell conventional arms to Iran with secondary sanctions, limiting access to the U.S. market, according to the official.

A spokesman for Iran’s mission to the U.N. labeled the expected U.S. sanctions as propaganda. 

“The entire world understands that these are a part of (the) next U.S. election campaign, and they are ignoring the U.S.’ preposterous claims at the U.N. today. It will only make (the) U.S. more isolated in world affairs,” the spokesman said, according to Reuters.

The White House did not immediately return a request for comment. 

The Trump administration believes that Iran is seeking nuclear weapons and is making the moves to hinder their potential atomic program, Reuters noted. Iranian officials deny the U.S.’s claims. 

President Trump withdrew from the Iranian nuclear deal in 2018 and reinstituted sanctions that have taken a toll on the Iranian economy. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has concluded that Iran has slowly breached their side of the deal, most significantly after the U.S. left.