A report by GAO says that the US government has identified at least six foreign companies that defied economic sanctions to trade with Iran in energy before the nuclear deal with Tehran was implemented.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) � The US government has identified at least six foreign companies that defied economic sanctions to trade with Iran in energy before the nuclear deal with Tehran was implemented, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in a report.

"GAO�s reviews of open sources published between December 2, 2014 and December 1, 2015 identified six foreign firms that were reported to have engaged in commercial activity in Iran�s energy sector during this time period," the report, which was issued on Wednesday, stated.

The reviews of open sources, GAO explained, did not identify any foreign firms that were reported to have exported technologies to the Iranian government for blocking telecommunications.

"None of the six firms that GAO identified as reported to have engaged in commercial activity in Iran�s energy sector� had US government contracts," the report noted.

Iran�s economy relies on oil and gas exports, and, according to the US Department of State, Iran has blocked its citizens� access to telecommunications making these areas of interest for the government while the sanctions were in place, the report added.
By Sputnik News