US Treasury Sanctions Iranian-based Entities

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin steps off Air Force One upon arrival at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on Dec. 2, 2017. (Mandel Ngan / AFP)
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin steps off Air Force One upon arrival at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on Dec. 2, 2017. (Mandel Ngan / AFP)
TT
20

US Treasury Sanctions Iranian-based Entities

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin steps off Air Force One upon arrival at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on Dec. 2, 2017. (Mandel Ngan / AFP)
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin steps off Air Force One upon arrival at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on Dec. 2, 2017. (Mandel Ngan / AFP)

Washington has slapped sanctions on five Iranian companies alleged to have been working on an illegal ballistic missile program.

"These sanctions target key entities involved in Iran's ballistic missile program, which the Iranian regime prioritizes over the economic well-being of the Iranian people," US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said.

The department said the sanctioned entities - the Shahid Eslami Research Center, Shahid Kharrazi Industries, Shahid Moghaddam Industries, Shahid Sanikhani Industries and Shahid Shustari Industries - were subordinated to the Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group.

The sanctions freeze any property the entities hold in the United States and prohibit Americans from dealing with them.

The Treasury’s move came as US senators and Trump administration officials met at the White House on Thursday, hoping to hammer out compromise legislation to tighten restrictions on Iran.

Senators Bob Corker, the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Ben Cardin, the panel's top Democrat, had an evening meeting with President Donald Trump's national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, to discuss possible legislation, Senate and White House aides said.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council is scheduled to meet Friday at 3 p.m. (2000 GMT) to discuss Iran, days after US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley called for an emergency session to discuss the anti-government protests taking place in several Iranian cities over economic hardships and corruption.



Iran Says 5 Inmates at Evin Prison Were Killed in Israel's Airstrike on Tehran

Evin Prison (File photo: Reuters)
Evin Prison (File photo: Reuters)
TT
20

Iran Says 5 Inmates at Evin Prison Were Killed in Israel's Airstrike on Tehran

Evin Prison (File photo: Reuters)
Evin Prison (File photo: Reuters)

An Israeli airstrike on Iran's capital last month killed five inmates at Evin prison and resulted in the escape of several others, Iranian media reported Saturday.

The semi-official ILNA news agency and other Iranian media quoted a spokesman for Iran’s judiciary that the five inmates killed in the June 23 strike had been convicted on financial offences. The spokesman didn't name the victims or give any further details.

The judiciary’s own news website, Mizanonline quoted spokesman Asghar Jahangir as saying only that “small number" of inmates were killed. He added that an “insignificant number of inmates” had also escaped and that authorities would soon bring them back into custody, AFP reported.

Jahangir said no one serving time at Evin prison for working with Israel's spy agency Mossad was injured in the attack.

Iranian authorities last month put the death toll from the airstrike at 71. But Iranian media later raised that number to 80 including staff, soldiers, inmates and visiting family members.

It's unclear why Israel targeted the prison. The Israeli Defense Ministry had said on the day of the airstrikes that 50 aircraft dropped 100 munitions on military targets “based on high-quality and accurate intelligence from the Intelligence Branch.”

The New York-based Center for Human Rights had criticized Israel for striking the prison - seen as a symbol of repression of any opposition - saying it violated the principle of distinction between civilian and military targets.

The 12-day air war left more than 1,060 dead in Iran and 28 dead in Israel.