The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced today the designation of five entities and one individual based in Iran for their roles in supporting Iran’s nuclear program. The entities targeted are linked to the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) and the Iran Centrifuge Technology Company (TESA), both of which are key players in Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
“The Iranian regime’s reckless pursuit of nuclear weapons remains a grave threat to the United States and a menace to regional stability and global security,” said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. “Treasury will continue to leverage our tools and authorities to disrupt any attempt by Iran to advance its nuclear program and its broader destabilizing agenda.”
The action, taken under Executive Order 13382, targets proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery mechanisms. AEOI was originally included in the Annex of E.O. 13382, and the US Department of State re-designated it on January 30, 2020. TESA, designated by the Treasury in 2011, is instrumental in Iran’s uranium enrichment efforts through its production of centrifuges.
Among the newly sanctioned are Atbin Ista Technical and Engineering Company (AIT) and its Managing Director Majid Mosallat, who has facilitated TESA’s acquisition of foreign components. Pegah Aluminum Arak Company (Pegah), which manufactures aluminum products for TESA, is also being designated. Both AIT and Pegah are sanctioned for providing material and technological support to TESA, while Mosallat is being designated for acting on behalf of AIT.
Three additional Iran-based entities—Thorium Power Company (TPC), Pars Reactors Construction and Development Company (Satra Pars), and Azarab Industries Co. (Azarab)—have been designated for their direct ties to AEOI. TPC was created in July 2023 to develop thorium-fueled reactor technologies, while Satra Pars and Azarab are involved in nuclear reactor and power plant construction under AEOI control.
As a result of these sanctions, all property and interests in property of the designated persons that fall within US jurisdiction are blocked and must be reported to OFAC. The announcement reiterates that US persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions involving designated parties. “The power and integrity of OFAC sanctions derive not only from OFAC’s ability to designate and add persons to the SDN List, but also from its willingness to remove persons from the SDN List consistent with the law. The ultimate goal of sanctions is not to punish, but to bring about a positive change in behavior.”
The announcement comes just days after US President Donald Trump announced that the US was in direct talks with Iran on its nuclear program. An American delegation, reportedly led by Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff, is scheduled to talk with an Iranian delegation, led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, on Saturday in Oman. While Trump claimed that the talks would be direct, Iran has stressed that it only agreed to indirect talks.