United States Issues New Sanctions To Iran Ahead Of Negotiations In Oman

Tejheran Iran/ILLUSTRASI UNSPLASH/hosein charbaghi

JAKARTA - The United States issued new sanctions against Iran on Wednesday, two days after President Donald Trump announced US plans to hold direct talks with Tehran over its nuclear program.

The department designated five entities and one person based in Iran for their support for Iran's nuclear program, the US Treasury said in a statement Wednesday, April 9. This sanction aims to prevent Iran from possessing nuclear weapons.

The group appointed played an important role in supporting two previously sanctioned entities that manage the country's nuclear program, the Iran Atomic Energy Organization (AEOI) and its subordinates, the Iranian Centrifus Technology Company (TESA).

The move came after Trump made a surprise announcement on Monday that the United States and Iran were ready to initiate direct negotiations on Tehran's nuclear program.

But Iran's foreign minister said negotiations in Oman would be indirect.

As a further sign of the difficult path to any agreement between the two geopolitical enemies, Trump issued a stern warning if the negotiations were unsuccessful, "Iran will be in grave danger."

Iran's centrifuge technology company is critical to Iran's uranium enrichment efforts through centrifuge production.

The person targeted for the new sanctions is Majid Mosalat, managing director of Atbin Ista's Engineering and Engineering Company, which the Treasury says helps the company acquire components from foreign suppliers.

"The Iranian regime's reckless efforts to obtain nuclear weapons remain a serious threat to the United States and a threat to regional stability and global security," Finance Minister Scott Bessent said in a statement.