The United States on Thursday sanctioned five Iranian entities allegedly linked to a "key element" of Tehran’s ballistic missile program.
The Treasury Department said in a statement the sanctioned companies are owned or controlled by an industrial corporation that develops and produces Iran’s solid-propellant ballistic missiles.
"These sanctions target key entities involved in Iran's ballistic missile program, which the Iranian regime prioritizes over the economic well-being of the Iranian people," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said. "We will not hesitate to call out the regime's economic mismanagement, and diversion of significant resources to fund threatening missile systems at the expense of its citizenry."
The sanctioned entities include Shahid Kharrazi Industries, Shahid Sanikhani Industries, Shahid Moghaddam Industries, Shahid Eslami Research Center, and Shahid Shustari Industries. The Treasury Department said all five companies are subordinate to the Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group.
The sanctions freeze any assets the blacklisted companies have in the United States and prevent Americans from doing business with them.
The Treasury Department announcement comes amid antigovernment demonstrations in which some 42,000 Iranians took to the streets to protest the country’s hardline regime. At least 21 people have been killed.
Mnuchin warned the United States would consider additional sanctions targeting human rights abuses.