US imposes sanctions on dual Iran-Iraq citizen and his mining company

In its latest move to pressurize Tehran with sanctions, Trump administration on May 1 blacklisted a mining company owned by a dual citizen of Iraq and Iran. According to reports, Amir Dianat and his Taif Mining Services LLC are the latest entities to be placed on the Trump administration's blacklist. The US Treasury has accused Dianat and his company of being a front partner of Iran's Quds Force and Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), adding that they generate funds and smuggle weapons from Iran to Yemen, where Tehran is reportedly backing the rebel Houthi group. 

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"Dianat, an associate of IRGC-QF officials Behnam Shahriyari and Rostam Ghasemi, has supported IRGC-QF smuggling operations for several years, including efforts aimed at the shipment of weapons including missiles. The IRGC-QF has relied on Dianat to secure entry for vessels carrying IRGC-QF shipments and has used his business connections to facilitate logistics requirements. Dianat has been directly involved in IRGC-QF efforts to smuggle shipments from Iran to Yemen," US Treasury said in its official statement. 

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"The Iranian regime and its supporters continue to prioritize the funding of international terrorist organizations over the health and well-being of the Iranian people. The United States remains committed to working with financial institutions, non-profit organizations, and international partners to facilitate humanitarian trade and assistance to the Iranian people," said Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin in the statement. 

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Sanctions

The US Department of the Treasury has ordered that all property and interests in property of Dianat that are in the United States or in the possession or control of US persons must be blocked and reported to the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). In March 2020, the OFAC designated 20 Iran and Iraq-based front companies, senior officials, and business associates that provided support to or acted for or on behalf of the IRGC-QF, which included transferring lethal aid to Iranian-backed terrorist militias in Iraq.

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(Image Credit: AP)