The bans, announced by the US Treasury Department on Wednesday, target five entities and one person based in Iran for what the department described as their support for Iran’s nuclear program.
The Treasury said the designated groups include the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) and its subordinate, the Iran Centrifuge Technology Company.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent claimed in a statement that Iran’s “reckless pursuit of nuclear weapons remains a grave threat to the United States and a menace to regional stability and global security.”
The claim that Iran pursues nuclear weapons has been refuted in countless inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
US intelligence agencies have also repeatedly confirmed that Iran does not seek nuclear weapons, the latest being a report by the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard published in March.
The fresh measure comes days after Trump announced that the US would hold talks with Tehran on Saturday.
Iran has repeatedly rejected any compromise while under pressure and stressed that the upcoming talks are meant to test the US resolve in settling the dispute over its nuclear program.
On Wednesday, Trump said he wants Iran to thrive, but he won’t allow Tehran to have nuclear weapons.
“We’re not going to let them have a nuclear weapon,” he stated in the Oval Office.
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei issued an official fatwa (religious decree) clearly establishing that any form of acquisition, development, and use of nuclear weapons violate Islamic principles and are therefore forbidden.
“I want them to thrive. I want Iran to be great. The only thing they can’t have is a nuclear weapon. They understand that,” Trump added.
As the US and Iran are set to hold talks in Oman, Trump provided no timeline for when he would like to see a favorable conclusion. However, he said the US will take military action if necessary.
“If it requires military (action), we’re going to have military (action.) Israel will obviously be very much involved in that. They’ll be the leader of that. But nobody leads us. We do what we want to do,” he stressed.
