U.S. Slaps Sanctions On Iran Firms, Quds Officials

The U.S. Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on two Iranian companies, a Nigerian shipping agent, and three members of Iran's hard-line Quds Force for their role in exporting arms to Syria and Africa.

The blacklist targets the firms Yas Air and Behineh Trading, and Quds officials Esmail Ghani, Sayyid Ali Akbar Tabatabaei, and Hosein Aghajani for weapons shipments the U.S. government says helped Iran "evade international sanctions and export violence."

Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David S. Cohen said the action "again exposes Iran's malign influence in the Middle East, Africa, and beyond."

He vowed Washington "will continue to expose the officials and companies involved and work to hold them accountable for the suffering they cause."

The sanctions freeze all U.S.-based assets and ban business deals with U.S. citizens.

With reporting by AP