US imposes sanctions on 11 entities for supporting Iranian group for cyber attacks against America

Washington: The US Treasury Department announced it has imposed sanctions on 11 entities and individuals for supporting Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for cyber-attacks against the US. The sanctions announced on Thursday targeted one entity engaging in supporting IRGC ballistic missile programme, two Ukraine-based entities supporting designated airlines, and two Iran-based networks responsible for cyber-enabled attacks against the US financial system, Xinhua news agency cited a statement by the Treasury. [caption id=“attachment_3817013” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Getty Images[/caption] “Treasury will continue to take strong actions to counter Iran’s provocations, including support for the IRGC-Qods Force and terrorist extremists, the ongoing campaign of violence in Syria, and cyber-attacks meant to destabilize the US financial system,” said US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in a statement. Treasury’s actions will freeze all the assets the designated entities and individuals may hold in the United States and generally prohibit US individuals from doing business with them. Meanwhile, Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Thursday that Iran’s nuclear deal with the powers is not renegotiable. “The #JCPOA is not (re)negotiable. A ‘better’ deal is pure fantasy,” Zarif tweeted on Thursday, adding that it was time for the US to “stop spinning and begin complying, just like Iran.” After years of tension with the West, Iran struck a deal with the five world powers of Britain, China, France, Russia and the US plus Germany in July 2015, under which Iran agreed to limit its uranium-enrichment activities in return for the lifting of western and international sanctions.