The U.S. sanctions against 13 individuals and 12 entities are linked to Tehran’s ballistic missile program and its proxies across the Middle East. The targets include Iranian, Lebanese, Emirati and Chinese individuals and firms that have been working to help Tehran obtain technology and materials needed to advance its ballistic missile program.
The Treasury Department says sanctions were also levied on individuals and networks working with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' elite Quds Force and the Iranian-backed Lebanese terror group Hezbollah.
What do the sanctions restrict?
Those individuals and companies sanctioned are prohibited from doing any business in the United States or with American citizens. Foreign companies that do business with the targeted individuals and companies risk being blacklisted by the United States.
Timing of the sanctions
The White House said the timing of the sanctions was in reaction to Iran's recent ballistic missile test, but said they had previously been under consideration. White House spokesman Sean Spicer said while much of the groundwork for the sanctions occurred under President Barack Obama, the administration "acted swiftly and decisively" and said the action serves as punishment to "what we’ve seen in the last couple of days" from Tehran.
How do the sanctions affect the 2015 nuclear accord?
The sanctions do not impact U.S. compliance with the Iran nuclear deal, and none of the individuals or entities had been sanctioned under the Obama administration.
Iran says its missile test does not violate the nuclear accord or U.N. Security Council resolutions. The United States argues the test violates a U.N. resolution extending an eight-year ban on Iran's ballistic missiles "designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons."
Trump's view of Iran
Trump has ridiculed the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran as a terrible idea. Throughout his campaign, Trump accused the Obama administration of being weak on Iran and vowed to crack down on the country. In a tweet Friday, Trump said: "Iran is playing with fire - they don’t appreciate how ‘kind’ President Obama was to them. Not me! "
Overall impact of the sanctions
Analysts say the impact of the sanctions is largely symbolic and will likely not have a large effect on Iran's economy.
