The United States has expanded sanctions against Iran, targeting the country's ministry of petroleum along with 10 other entities, two other vessels, and eight individuals including the country's oil minister, according to the US Treasury Department , Sputnik reported.
According to the Treasury, the blacklisted individuals were involved in the recent sale of Iranian gasoline to Venezuela. OFAC has imposed sanctions on the following Iranian officials:
Bijan Zanganeh, Masoud Karbasian, Nasrollah Sardashti, Behzad Mohammadi, Viyan Zanganeh, Alireza Sadiqabadi, Ali Akbar Purebrahim, and Mahmoud Madanipour.
The US-Iran tensions have been running high for months following the Trump's administration unilateral decision to pull out from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal inked under Barack Obama and began reimposing Washington's sanctions that had been lifted under the agreement.
FA/PR