US hits Iran with fresh sanctions after missile tests

WASHINGTON: The United States slapped fresh sanctions on Iran Friday to punish Tehran for recent ballistic missile tests and its support for Yemen's Houthi rebels.

The first sanctions against Iran by the Trump administration targeted companies and individuals in Iran and China identified by the United States as supporting Tehran's ballistic missile program and the Revolutionary Guards military force.

"Iran's continued support for terrorism and development of its ballistic missile program poses a threat to the region, to our partners worldwide, and to the United States," said John Smith, acting director of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control.