U.S. sanctions more Iranians, but nuclear deal stands for now

WASHINGTON » The Trump administration slapped 18 Iranian individuals and groups with sanctions Tuesday for aiding the country’s non-nuclear weapons programs, in a bid to show that President Donald Trump is staying tough on Iran despite his moves to let the nuclear deal stay in place for now.

The latest attempt to clamp down on Iran’s military financing ranged from an Iranianbased company that aided the country’s drone program to a Turkey-based provider of naval equipment and a Chinabased network that helped secure electronics for Tehran. The sanctions freeze any assets in the U.S. and prevent Americans from doing business with them.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the sanctions “send a strong signal that the United States cannot and will not tolerate Iran’s provocative and destabilizing behavior.”

“This administration will continue to aggressively target Iran’s malign activity, including their ongoing state support of terrorism, ballistic missile program, and human rights abuses,” Mnuchin said.

The announcement came only hours after the Trump administration told Congress for a second time that Iran is complying with the nuclear deal and can keep enjoying sanctions relief. The administration insisted Tehran was breaching “the spirit” of the deal.

Trump, who lambasted the 2015 pact as a candidate, gave himself more time to decide whethertoscuttleitorletitstand. Instead, senior Trump administrationofficialssoughttoemphasize their deep concerns about Iran’s non-nuclear behavior and vowed that those transgressions won’t go unpunished.