Sputnik - Reacting to the recent wave of US sanctions, announced earlier in the day by the Treasury Department, Iran's oil minister has asked OPEC to support his country against what he called "illegal, unilateral and extraterritorial sanctions".



"I would like�to� seek OPEC's support in�accordance with�Article 2 of�the OPEC Statute, which emphasizes safeguarding the interests of�member countries individually and collectively," Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh wrote in�a letter to�the United Arab Emirates Energy Minister Suhail al-Mazrouei, who holds OPEC presidency in�2018.


Earlier in�the day,�the US Treasury Department declared new US sanctions against�Iran, citing what they called "ongoing human rights abuses, censorship, and other despicable acts it commits against�its own citizens".

The latest wave of�US sanctions targeted, in�particular, six individuals and three companies: Director-General of�Islamic Republic of�Iran Broadcasting Abdulali Ali-Asgari, Ansar-e Hezbollah leaders Hossein Allahkarah, Abdolhamid Mohtasham and Hamid Ostad, Secretary of�Iran's Supreme Cyberspace Council Abolhassan Firouzabadi and Iranian judiciary official Abdolsamad Khoramabadi, as�well as�Ansar-e Hezbollah, Evin Prison, Hanista Programming Group, Al-Bilad Islamic Bank for�Investment and Finance, Al-Naser Airlines and Dart Airlines.

US Sanctions Against Iran

Washington has been�tightening the screw of�sanctions against�Iran since�US President Donald Trump's withdrawal from�the JCPOA, as�known as�the Iran�nuclear deal. In particular, the Treasury specified these measures were implemented as�a part of�the US president's "aggressive campaign" against�Iran's elite�Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps�(IRGC).

On May 22, Washington imposed sanctions on�five members of�the IRGC over�their alleged efforts to�provide missile support to�Yemen's�Houthi militants. Previously, the Treasury sanctioned six individuals, including�Valiollah Seif, the head of�Iran's central bank, over�alleged ties to�the IRGC and the�Hezbollah�movement, which Washington considers to�be a terrorist group.