US blacklists 37 alleged front companies for Iran

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: Oct 28, 2010 00:43 Updated: Oct 28, 2010 00:43

WASHINGTON: The Obama administration is putting new pressure on Iran by blacklisting 37 shipping companies in Germany, Malta and Cyprus that the US links to Tehran’s nuclear program.

The Treasury Department said Wednesday that all are front companies owned or acting for the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines, which the US says is used to advance Iran’s nuclear and missile programs.

The blacklisting is the latest in a series of actions by the UN, as well as the US and other countries to punish Iran for its disputed nuclear program. The US measures are also intended to pressure Tehran into agreeing to taking steps to prove that the program is not used to make bombs.