Global Security Newswire

The United States has prohibited government dealings with 13 companies in China, Russia and Venezuela that allegedly sold equipment to Iran that could support efforts to develop missiles or weapons of mass destruction, Reuters reported today (see GSN, April 24, 2007).

“A determination has been made that thirteen foreign persons have engaged in activities that warrant the imposition of measures pursuant to Section 3 of the Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Act,” a U.S. State Department document says.

The U.S. move represents “a case of unscrupulous competition,” said a spokesman for Rosoboronexport, a Russian defense export firm targeted by the sanctions (Guy Faulconbridge, Reuters/Forbes, Oct. 23).

The State Department yesterday also announced additional economic penalties against Iran’s Revolutionary Guard on grounds that the military organization conducted illicit missile and WMD-related trade, the Associated Press reported.

The new sanctions target the entire group — unlike U.S. penalties imposed last year on Guard components — as well as 12 private and military entities in China, Russia, Sudan, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and both Koreas.

The measure bars Washington from providing aid, signing contracts or carrying out defense-related transfers involving any of the listed organizations. It was uncertain whether the any of the entities had business connections with the U.S. government.

Both sets of sanctions are expected to have a two-year lifespan (Associated Press/Google News, Oct 23).

Related GSN Stories

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• United States Lifts Ban on Travel to Libya
• U.S. Senate Approves Syria Sanctions Bill
• U.S. Pursues Broader Relations With China While Imposing Proliferation Sanctions
• House International Relations Committee Approves Syria Sanctions Bill

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