The departments of State and Treasury under President Donald Trump on Wednesday imposed additional sanctions targeting Iran. Photo by Francis Chungg/UPI | License Photo
Oct. 2 (UPI) -- The United States is blacklisting 44 individuals and firms accused of being involved in Iran's nuclear program and weapons procurement network, as the Trump administration continues to increase its so-called maximum pressure strategy on Tehran.
The sanctions were announced by the U.S. State and Treasury departments on Wednesday, days after the restoration of United Nations sanctions and other punitive measures on Iran.
Among sanctions announced Wednesday, the State Department hit five individuals and one entity connected to Iran's Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research, the successor of Iran's pre-2004 nuclear program and originally sanctioned by the administration of President Barack Obama in 2014.
Known by the initials SPND, the Tehran-based entity, founded in February 2011, is responsible for nuclear weapons development research.
