US imposes new sanctions on Iran, targets technology acquisition network

The United States has imposed new sanctions on Iran, targeting a network accused of impersonating and defrauding American businesses to obtain technology for the Iranian military. The US State Department announced Friday that the network, led by Iran-based Ali Majd Sepehr, used fake websites and intermediaries in Dubai to acquire advanced equipment for Iran's defense sector.

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You will not gain control over the Strait of Hormuz, which you failed to achieve through warfare and diplomacy, by means of sanctions either.

In addition to sanctioning this network, the US Treasury Department designated Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) under counterterrorism authorities. The PGSA was cited for materially assisting, sponsoring, or providing support to the IRGC, and any transactions with it now carry sanctions risk. The department is also offering a reward of up to $15 million for information that disrupts the financing of the IRGC.

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for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, the IRGC.

The PGSA responded to the sanctions via X/Twitter, condemning the US leadership and stating that being sanctioned by a country whose leader "takes pride in piracy" was a mark of "positive performance." The authority asserted that the US would not control the Strait of Hormuz through sanctions, having failed to do so through warfare and diplomacy.

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a country whose leader takes pride in piracy