Washington (EFE).- The United States imposed new sanctions on Iran on Wednesday, just days before Washington and Tehran are due to hold talks on Iran’s nuclear program in Oman over the weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In particular, the US government sanctioned five Iran-based entities and one individual for their support of Iran’s nuclear development, the US Treasury and State Departments said in separate statements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The Iranian regime’s reckless pursuit of nuclear weapons remains a grave threat to the US and a menace to regional stability and global security,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Washington, the designated groups play a pivotal role in supporting two previously sanctioned entities that run Iran’s nuclear program: the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and its subsidiary, Iran Centrifuge Technology Company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Treasury Department stressed that the Iranian Centrifuge Technology Company is essential to Tehran’s uranium enrichment efforts, as it is in charge of the manufacture of centrifuges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The individual sanctioned is Majid Mosallat, CEO of the engineering firm Atbin Ista. The US authorities say Atbin Ista works with the Iranian Centrifuge Technology Company to procure components with potential nuclear applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These measures come two days after US President Donald Trump announced that Washington and Tehran would resume direct contact on the nuclear program of Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During his first term (2017-2021), Trump withdrew the US from the nuclear agreement signed in 2015 between Iran and China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, Germany and the European Union, which imposed strict limits on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since then, Tehran has far exceeded the permitted levels of uranium enrichment and has already accumulated 274 kilograms of uranium with a purity of 60%, very close to the 90% required for military use, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. EFE<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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