On 17 May 2017, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated for sanctions seven persons connected to Iran’s ballistic missile programme.

Among those targeted by the sanctions are two senior Iranian defense officials, including the Deputy Director for Commerce of Iran’s Defense Industries Organization, Morteza Farasatpour. Farasatpour was responsible for coordinating sale and delivery of explosives and other materials to Syria’s Scientific Studies and Research Center, the Syrian entity involved in the development of non-conventional weapons and delivery systems. In addition, the sanctions target Chinese national Ruan Runling and a network of three Chinese companies found to have supplied Iran’s military with missile-related items, including navigation-applicable technology and guidance systems, as well as one Iran-based company supporting Iran’s missile programmes.

OFAC issued these designations under Executive Order 13382 of 28 June 2005, which targets proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery and supporters of such activity. All sanctioned persons are now included on OFAC’s List of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (the SDN List) and US persons are prohibited from virtually all dealings with those persons, their property or interests in property.