The United States recently sanctioned 11 companies for allegedly shipping and selling Iranian petrochemicals.
The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned six companies on Sept. 3 based in Iran, the United Arab Emirates and China for allegedly supporting Triliance Petrochemical Co. Ltd.’s continued involvement in the sale of Iranian petrochemical products, including efforts by Triliance to hide or otherwise obscure its involvement in sales contracts.
Triliance was blacklisted by the United States in January.
“The Iranian regime uses revenue from petrochemical sales to continue its financing of terrorism and destabilizing foreign agenda,” said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in a statement. “The Trump administration remains committed to targeting those contributing to Iran’s attempts to evade U.S. sanctions by facilitating the illicit sale of Iranian petroleum products around the world.
Also on Sept. 3, the U.S. State Department imposed sanctions on five entities for allegedly knowingly engaging in a significant transaction for the purchase, acquisition, sale, transport or marketing of petroleum or petroleum products from Iran. The department further sanctioned three principal executive officers of the sanctioned entities.
The latest sanctions exemplified the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign since withdrawing the United States from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, reimposing sanctions under it, along with enacting new penalties against the regime.