The Biden administration announced Saturday sanctions imposed by Donald Trump against two Iranian companies that backed Tehran’s illicit nuclear missile programs will be lifted immediately.
UPI reports the U.S. Treasury Department removed Mammut Industries and its subsidiary, Mammut Diesel, from its Specially Designated Nationals list.
The Trump administration sanctioned the companies in September 2020 along with several shareholders and senior officials of the companies, accusing them of supplying goods for Iran’s nuclear missile program.
As Breitbart News reported, the designations came amid the U.S. government’s efforts to punish Tehran for its nuclear activity and malign influence in the region, something the Biden administration is seeking to reverse in the name of diplomacy.
A Treasury spokesperson told UPI the decision to excise the two companies from the Office of Foreign Assets Control’s SDN list wasn’t related to negotiations between the U.S. and Iran regarding the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the so-called Iran nuclear deal.
“These delistings do not reflect any change in U.S. government sanctions policy towards Iran,” the representative said in a statement. “They have nothing to do with JCPOA negotiation efforts. The United States will continue to counter Iran’s destabilizing activities, including through implementation of our sanctions.”
Eric Ferrari, an attorney with Ferrari & Associates, P.C., said Friday’s announcement was the result of an unspecified legal action.
“Happy for the delisting of our clients today, and proud of all our folks who worked on this and saw it through,” he tweeted.
In 2018 the Trump administration reinstated all sanctions removed under the Barack Obama-negotiated 2015 JCPOA nuclear deal, targeting both Iran and states that trade with it.
Washington said it wanted to stop what it called Tehran’s “malign” activities including cyber attacks, ballistic missile tests, and support for violent extremist groups and militias in the Middle East.
More than 700 individuals, entities, vessels and aircraft were placed on the sanctions list, including major banks, oil exporters and shipping companies.
As Breitbart News reported, back in June the Biden administration also lifted sanctions against three former Iranian officials and two companies that did business in Iran with its oil companies.
The action was widely interpreted by the media as a signal to Tehran that Biden stands ready to make further concessions to reverse President Donald Trump’s exit from the JCPOA nuclear deal.
UPI contributed to this story