US slaps new sanctions on Iran
2007-10-25 15:16
Washington - The Bush administration is imposing sweeping new sanctions against Iran's defence ministry, its Revolutionary Guard Corps and a number of banks to punish them for purported support for terrorist organisations in Iraq and the Middle East, missile sales and nuclear activities, US officials said on Thursday.
The measures, to be announced by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, will cover some of the Iranian government's largest military and financial institutions, which Washington blames for supporting the Taliban in Afghanistan, Shia insurgent groups in Iraq, along with the Hamas and Hezbollah organisations, they said.
Iran's defence ministry and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps are to be designated proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile technology while several banks will be hit with sanctions for "proliferation financing", the officials told reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity before the formal announcement.
- AP