US imposes new sanctions on Iranian entities, incl. Interior Min.

The new sanctions affect the Great Tehran Penitentiary in Iran's capital, the Law Enforcement Forces Cooperative Foundation, and Qarchak Prison, also situated in Tehran. All three entities are targeted with secondary Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA)-related restrictions.

The sanctions are also imposed by seven other officials in the Iranian Police.

The anti-Iranian measure comes as the international community has called on the US to remove or ease sanctions against Iran amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The new restrictions also come less than a day after the sanctioning of a Chinese logistics company providing services to Iran's Mahan Air, and weeks after the May 1 sanctioning on an Iran-related mining company in Oman, and an individual said to be linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards.

The Iran-related sanctions are part of a broader campaign of US sanctions against a host of nations US doesn't like or has issues with, including Venezuela, Syria, Russia and China, although Tehran has been the Treasury's main target during the Trump administration.

Iranian officials have slammed Washington over the restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic, saying sanctions prevent the country from selling its oil and importing much-needed supplies and medical equipment to deal with the virus. At the same time, Iran's scientists and industry have worked to ramp up production of homegrown medical equipment, disinfectants and testing kits to deal with the medical crisis.

MAH/PR