US sanctions 18 Iran entities, individuals linked to non-nuclear

WASHINGTON - The United States on Tuesday slapped sanctions on 18 Iranian entities and individuals linked to Iran's ballistic missile program and other non-nuclear activities.

The new round of sanctions came hours after US President Donald Trump's administration declared for the second time that Iran was complying with a 2015 nuclear deal but also called Iran "one of the most dangerous threats to US interests and to regional stability."

According to a statement by the US Treasury Department, 16 Iranian entities and individuals, including ones engaged in activities in support of Iran's military or the country's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, were designated for "engaging in support of illicit Iranian actors or transnational criminal activity."

Two other Iranian organizations involved in Iran's ballistic missile program were also targeted by the US State Department, according to the Treasury Department statement.

"This administration will continue to aggressively target Iran's malign activities, including their ongoing state support of terrorism, ballistic missile program, and human rights abuses," the statement quoted Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin as saying.