The United States has announced another round of sanctions against Iran, this time targeting major companies in the country's automobile and railway sectors, as Washington seeks to increase economic pressure on Tehran.
The US Treasury Department said on Thursday that the measures cover Iran's two largest automobile manufacturers, railway companies and a number of international suppliers linked to the sectors.
The latest action comes under the Trump administration's "Operation Economic Outcast", a programme announced on August 24. The initiative is aimed at cutting off funding that Washington says supports Iran's war efforts, missile development, cyber operations and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Iran's major auto companies sanctioned
The Treasury Department designated Iran Khodro Company (IKCO) and SAIPA Iranian Automobile Manufacturing Company (SAIPA), saying the two firms account for more than 90 per cent of Iran's domestic automobile market.
The sanctions also target companies involved in transporting goods and passengers by rail.
These include the state-owned Islamic Republic of Iran Railway Company, which operates passenger and freight services, as well as Raja Passenger Trains Company and Sherkat-E Rah Ahan-E Khamle-O-Naghle, also known as the Railway Transportation Company.
According to the Treasury, the latter is a major private freight operator in Iran.
Washington seeks to restrict alternative transport routes
The US said the measures are aimed at limiting Tehran's ability to use sectors such as rail and automobiles to support the movement of petroleum, fertiliser, chemicals and other goods.
The action follows a US blockade targeting Iranian oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, which Washington says has pushed Iran to rely more heavily on alternative transportation networks.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the latest measures were intended to put pressure on companies helping sustain Iran's economy and war-related activities.
The action, he said, "directly targets Iran's enablers and lays the groundwork for the United States and our partners to drain the regime's revenue once and for all."
The sanctions are part of the broader US effort to economically isolate Iran and push Tehran towards negotiations over the conflict that began after a US-Israeli strike on Iran about seven months ago.