The United States announced Tuesday it was imposing sanctions on 13 foreign entities and individuals in Russia and other countries for supporting Iran's missile program as President Donald Trump also extended Crimea-related sanctions.
The State Department said the action placed new sanctions on three Chinese firms, a Chinese individual and a Turkish company. It did not identify which entities and individuals in Iraq and Russia faced the sanctions, which include restrictions on U.S. government procurement, U.S. government assistance and exports.
The statement said the measures were the result of a periodic review required under the Iran, North Korea and Syria Nonproliferation Act (INKSNA).
"The imposition of these measures underscores that Iran’s missile program remains a significant proliferation concern," the statement said.
The sanctions are "consistent with our efforts to use all available measures to prevent Iran from advancing its missile capabilities," it added.
Russia views the latest wave of economic restrictions related to Iran’s missile program “illegitimate,” an unnamed Foreign Ministry source told the state-run RIA Novosti news agency Wednesday.
The Trump administration has also extended sanctions over Russia’s annexation of Crimea that were due to expire in March, it said in a statement Tuesday.
The U.S. imposed travel bans and asset freezes against individuals involved in the seizure of the Ukrainian peninsula under President Barack Obama in March 2014. The sanctions have been extended and expanded every year since then by the Obama and Trump administrations.
Reuters contributed reporting to this article.
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