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Treasury and State Department Actions Target Iran's Nuclear Enrichment and Proliferation Program
WASHINGTON – The United States announced today it is imposing additional sanctions on Iran’s nuclear proliferation networks, targeting international procurement operations of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), the Iran Centrifuge Technology Company (TESA), and Iran's uranium enrichment program. Given Iran’s continued intransigence on its nuclear program, most recently demonstrated at last month’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors meeting, it is essential to continue to expose and target Iran’s continued proliferation activities. Today's actions shed more light on persistent illicit activities and deceptive behavior of the AEOI and the Government of Iran.
Seven companies and five individuals were designated by the U.S. Departments of the Treasury and State today pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13382 because they provide the Iranian government unique goods, technology and services that increase the regime’s ability to enrich uranium and/or to construct a heavy water research reactor. Both of these activities are prohibited by UN Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs). These designations generally prohibit transactions between the named entities and any U.S. person, and freeze any assets the designees may have under U.S. jurisdiction.
“So long as Iran continues to pursue a nuclear program in defiance of multiple UN Security Council Resolutions, the U.S. will target those involved in Iran’s illicit enrichment activities. The entire world has made it clear that these activities are unacceptable and only serve to increase Iran’s isolation,” said Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David S. Cohen. “We will continue to work with our international partners to intensify the pressure on Iran as long as it continues these types of activities.”
The designations of these entities and individuals under E.O. 13382, the executive authority to sanction entities in connection with Iran’s support for proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, carry consequences under the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 (CISADA). Foreign financial institutions that facilitate significant transactions to or from the sanctioned entities and individuals are exposed to potential loss of access to the U.S. financial sector.
The AEOI was identified in the Annex to E.O. 13382 of June 28, 2005, for its pivotal role as the main Iranian organization for research and development of nuclear technology and management of fissile material production programs. The AEOI reports directly to the Iranian President and was sanctioned by the United Nations under UNSCR 1737. TESA was designated pursuant to E.O. 13382 on November 21, 2011 because it plays a crucial role in Iran's uranium enrichment nuclear program. It is involved in the production of IR-1 centrifuges, the type of centrifuge Iran has used to enrich uranium. These centrifuges have been used in facilities belonging to the U.S.- and UN-designated Kalaye Electric Company, an AEOI entity. They have also been used in the AEOI enrichment plant in Natanz, where TESA also operates an assembly complex.
View the fact sheet for the individuals and entities designated today: FACT SHEET-Treasury State Designation of Iran Nuclear Enrichment and Proliferation Program- 13 December 2012
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