Iran on Friday condemned US sanctions on the country’s largest shipping line as “illegal and unjustifiable,” insisting the company never engaged in any illicit activities, including the transfer of equipment to enhance its missile and nuclear programs.
In the government’s first reaction to the sanctions, Iran’s UN Mission accused the US of targeting “the welfare of the Iranian nation” and exerting “undue pressure on thousands of shareholders” of the shipping company with its “baseless allegations.”
The US government on Wednesday ordered the freezing of any US bank accounts or other financial assets belonging to the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines, known as IRISL, and 18 related companies. Americans are also barred from doing business with the companies.
Iran’s UN Mission said in a statement that the Iranian government therefore reserves the right “to seek compensation for the damages that may be incurred to its citizens as a result of such unfounded accusations and unlawful unilateral measures.”
The US alleges that the Iranian company facilitated shipments of military-related cargo destined for Iran’s Defense Ministry and Armed Forces Logistics, which controls Iran’s ballistic missile research, development and production activities. The US also alleges the company falsified documents to conceal its cargo.
Stuart Levey, the Treasury Department’s undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said “IRISL’s actions are part of a broader pattern of deception and fabrication that Iran uses to advance its nuclear and missile program.”
The shipping line on Thursday called the accusations “sheer lies” and said all consignments carried by its ships have been verified by authorities in departing and destination ports.
It said the sanctions would be ineffective because the company has no dealings with US companies and no bank accounts or assets in the US. However, in announcing the sanctions on Wednesday, US officials said they would also seek to discourage international companies from doing business with the Iranian company.
In its statement on Friday, Iran’s UN Mission said “the Islamic Republic of Iran categorically rejects the baseless allegations made by the US against the IRISL, and strongly condemns the said US invalid unilateral measures.” It said the measures “constitute another example of US contempt for international law.”
“The IRISL has been operating under the rules and regulations of international law pertaining to the carriage of goods by sea, and as such, has never engaged in illicit activities including `proliferation activities,’ since there are absolutely no such activities in Iran,” the mission said.
The Iranian statement accused the US of failing “to provide any evidence with regard to the so-called `proliferation concerns’ in Iran, nor has it presented any substantiation to its allegations against IRISL.”
The US restrictions are the latest effort to put financial pressure on Iran, which the US accuses of bankrolling terrorism and seeking to produce a nuclear bomb. Iran insists its nuclear program is purely peaceful and designed to produce energy for civilian use.
Washington has already imposed sanctions on several state-run Iranian banks and businesses along with elements of its defense ministry and Revolutionary Guards Corps.
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