WANA (Oct 09) – The U.S. Department of Commerce has added several companies from China, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates to its export blacklist, claiming they supported Iran’s military programs.

 

According to the announcement released Thursday, 29 entities — including 26 companies and three addresses — have been added to the Commerce Department’s Entity List. The sanctions target 16 companies and three addresses in China, nine firms in Turkey, and one company in the UAE.

 

The U.S. alleges that the sanctioned entities were involved in purchasing U.S.-made electronic components used in armed drones. These companies, including several based in China and Hong Kong, are now prohibited from receiving American exports without special government authorization.

 

The Commerce Department stated that export license requests for these entities would generally be denied on national security grounds.

 

Washington’s secondary sanctions, which target foreign firms and institutions for dealings with Iran, were first introduced in 1996 under the Iran and Libya Sanctions Act and have intensified in recent years — particularly after the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA in 2018.

 

These measures, often described by the U.S. as alternatives to warfare for advancing foreign policy objectives, have faced widespread international criticism.

 

China has condemned the sanctions as “judicial overreach interfering with international trade,” while Iran has labeled them “economic terrorism” and a violation of human rights.

 

Turkey, which maintains close economic ties with Iran, including in gas and oil trade, considers the secondary sanctions “extraterritorial” and a threat to national sovereignty.

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