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Iran slams new US sanctions

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Balancing Act: Washington extends wider sanctions relief under the nuclear accord


DUBAI/ TEHRAN: Iran said on Thursday that new US sanctions targeting its ballistic missile programme show Washington’s “ill will” and could undermine the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers, state television reported.


The US Treasury on Wednesday sanctioned two senior Iranian defence officials, an Iranian company, a Chinese man and three Chinese firms for backing ballistic missile development in Iran.


Separately, however, Washington also extended wider sanctions relief for Iran called for under the nuclear accord. “Iran condemns America’s unacceptable ill will in its effort to undermine the positive outcome of Tehran’s commitment to implement the nuclear deal by adding individuals to its list of unilateral and illegal sanctions,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi said.


Iran holds a presidential election on Friday in which incumbent Hassan Rouhani will be seeking a second term against hardline challengers who say the nuclear pact has not delivered economic recovery as he promised. Remaining, unilateral US sanctions imposed over Iran’s record on human rights, terrorism and ballistic missiles has scared many would-be foreign investors seen as indispensable to reviving an economy stunted by many years of isolation.


In retaliation for the new US sanctions, Iran said it had added nine American individuals and companies to its own list of 15 US companies for alleged human rights violations and cooperation with Israel. The administration of US President Donald Trump chose to continue waiving nuclear-related sanctions on Wednesday despite its criticism of the agreement. That was a relief to Rouhani, who made the 2015 nuclear deal the centrepiece of his efforts to end Iran’s isolation and rebuild its economy with foreign investment.


But the Trump administration, dominated by fiercely anti-Iran sentiment, balanced the sanctions waivers with new measures against Iranian defence officials and a Chinese business tied to Tehran’s ballistic missile programme.


The US says the programme is a breach of international law because the missiles could carry nuclear warheads in the future.


Trump threatened to tear up the nuclear deal during his campaign and has launched a review of its terms, but until then the deal requires him to renew sanctions relief at regular intervals. His first deadline fell this week, related to sanctions on oil purchases through the Iranian central bank — part of a 2012 law called the National Defence Authorisation Act — that must be waived every 120 days. The Trump administration will have to waive more sanctions next month if it wants to stick by the nuclear deal.


US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in April that Iran was complying with its side of the bargain.


— Agencies


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