US imposes Iran-related sanctions on UAE-based companies

WASHINGTON: The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on two United Arab Emirates-based companies, the US Treasury Department said, accusing them of providing support to Iranian airline Mahan Air.

The Treasury in a statement said that United Arab Emirates-based Parthia Cargo and Delta Parts Supply FZC provided key parts and logistics services for Mahan Air, which is on a US blacklist.

The Treasury also blacklisted Amin Mahdavi, an Iranian national based in the United Arab Emirates, for owning or controlling Parthia Cargo.

Wednesday's action freezes any US assets of those blacklisted and generally bars Americans from dealing with them.

"The Iranian regime uses Mahan Air as a tool to spread its destabilizing agenda around the world, including to the corrupt regimes in Syria and Venezuela, as well as terrorist groups throughout the Middle East," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said.

"The United States will continue to take action against those supporting this airline," he added.

The Treasury said the services provided by the two companies blacklisted on Wednesday allow Mahan Air to sustain its fleet of Western-manufactured aircraft and "to support the Iranian regime's destabilizing agenda through activities that include the transportation of terrorists and lethal cargo to Syria to prop up the murderous Assad regime."

The services provided by the companies also allowed Mahan Air to recently transport Iranian technicians and technical equipment to Venezuela, the Treasury said.

Tensions between Washington and Tehran have spiked since President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew in 2018, from the Iran nuclear deal struck by his predecessor, Barack Obama, and began reimposing sanctions that had been eased under the accord.