Pompeo announces ‘major expansion’ of metals sanctions against Iran
US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo has announced an expansion of the Iran metals sanctions, identifying 22 materials that he said were used by Tehran for its nuclear, military or ballistic missile programmes.
In a 30 July statement, Pompeo said that the US State Department was undertaking ‘a major expansion’ of the metals-related sanctions on Iran. ‘Those who knowingly transfer such materials to Iran are now sanctionable pursuant to Section 1245 of the Iranian Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act,’ he warned.
The almost two dozen materials identified include various grades of aluminium, steel and copper, including ‘aluminium powder with purity above 98 percent’, an essential ingredient of solid-fuel propellants used to launch missiles and rockets. Iran reportedly began producing it secretly several years ago.
Pompeo added that he remained unyielding in his determination that Iran’s construction sector is controlled by its paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (‘IRGC’), which is a target of several previous sanctions.
‘As a result of this IRGC determination, any knowing transfer of certain materials, including graphite or raw or semi-finished metals, to or from Iran to be used in connection with the construction sector of Iran remains sanctionable,’ Pompeo warned.
The additional sanctions cover the following materials:
- ALUMINIUM 319
- ALUMINIUM 1100
- ALUMINIUM 225
- ALUMINIUM 6061
- ALUMINIUM 6063
- ALUMINIUM 6082
- ALUMINIUM 7075
- ALUMINIUM BRONZE ALLOY UNS C63600 (CDA alloy 636)
- ALUMINIUM OXIDE (Al2O3)
- STEEL 302
- STEEL 4130
- STAINLESS STEEL 321
- STAINLESS STEEL 316
- A877 STEEL
- A228 STEEL
- 100Cr6-52100 STEEL
- 350 MARAGING STEEL (also known as MARAGING STEEL350)
- 300 MARAGING STEEL (also known as MARAGING STEEL300)
- UNS Cl7200-TDO1 [BERYLLIUM COPPER]
- UNS C37000 – CuZn38Pb1
- TUNGSTEN COPPER
- ALUMINIUM POWDER with purity above 98%
