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The US on Thursday imposed sanctions on companies it accused of involvement in Iran’s petrochemical and petroleum trade, including five based in China.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the State Department designated two China-based companies, Zhonggu Storage and Transportation Co Ltd and WS Shipping Co Ltd, accusing the former of operating a commercial crude oil storage facility for Iranian petroleum and accusing the latter of being a ship manager for a vessel that has transported Iranian petroleum products.
The US Treasury Department also slapped sanctions on a network of companies involved in what it said was the sale of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of Iranian petrochemical and petroleum products to South and East Asia. The action targeted Iranian brokers and front companies in the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong and India, the Treasury said.
Washington warned that it would continue to accelerate enforcement of sanctions on Iran’s petroleum and petrochemical sales so long as Tehran continues to accelerate its nuclear program.