The United States imposed new sanctions on Iran’s nuclear programme on Wednesday, just days before high-stakes talks between the two countries are set to take place.
The US Treasury Department announced it was sanctioning five entities, including the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, and one individual over Iran’s contested nuclear activities.
While the new sanctions are symbolic, as the US already enforces broad sanctions on Iran and its nuclear programme, they underscore the growing pressure ahead of the talks scheduled for Saturday in Oman.
The sanctions were announced as a statement of intent, particularly as the US continues to scrutinise Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
“The Iranian regime’s reckless pursuit of nuclear weapons remains a grave threat to the United States and a menace to regional stability and global security,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement on Wednesday, April 9, vowing to “disrupt any attempt by Iran to advance its nuclear programme.”
Iran has consistently denied seeking nuclear weapons, and US intelligence agencies have not concluded that Iran is actively pursuing a bomb, though they acknowledge that the country could quickly develop one if it chose to.
US President Donald Trump, who unilaterally withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal, has expressed hopes for a diplomatic resolution but has made it clear that military action would be considered if talks fail to yield results.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Tuesday that military action would become “inevitable” if the negotiations dragged on too long.
