The United States has stepped up the enforcement of its unilateral sanctions against Iran by imposing bans on companies from China and Dubai for having dealings with Tehran.
The U.S. government said on Tuesday that it had added eight Chinese companies, a Dubai firm and two Dubai-based executives to blacklists.
The U.S. Treasury, State and Justice Departments made the coordinated move in response to evading U.S. restrictions on Iranian weapons, oil and banking transactions.
The announcement comes as the U.S. and other members of the UN Security Council plus Germany are holding talks with Iran over its nuclear energy program.
Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - the U.S., France, Britain, Russia, China - plus Germany reached an interim nuclear deal on November 24, 2013, in the Swiss city of Geneva to set the stage for the full settlement of the dispute over Iran’s nuclear energy program. The deal took effect on January 20.
Under the Geneva deal, the six countries agreed to provide Iran with some sanctions relief in exchange for Iran agreeing to limit certain aspects of its nuclear activities during a six-month period. It was also agreed that no nuclear-related sanctions would be imposed on the Islamic Republic within the same time frame.
The US move comes as Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday said he is not pessimistic about a final agreement with the P5+1 on Tehran’s nuclear energy program, stressing the Islamic Republic would never succumb to pressure and bullying.
“…I am not pessimistic about the negotiations, but reaching a final agreement at the end of a six-month period depends on whether or not the opposite side is ready for proper interaction,” Rouhani said in a live televised interview.
