The United States has imposed new sanctions on five Iranian companies it accuses of helping Iran's nuclear and missile programs.
In a statement Tuesday, the U.S. Treasury Department said the action is aimed at freezing the assets under U.S. jurisdiction of "proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and their supporters." The designation also prohibits American individuals and companies from any contact with those companies.
A top Treasury official Stuart Levey, Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence says Iran has used the newly sanctioned companies to hide what he called "illicit conduct" and to further its "dangerous" nuclear ambitions.
The five companies are the Nuclear Research Center for Agriculture and Medicine, the Esfahan Nuclear Fuel Research and Production Center, Jabbar Ibn Hayan, Safety Equipment Procurement Company and Joza Industrial Company.
