For third straight day, Trump administration imposes Iran-related sanctions amid nuclear talks

May 14 (UPI) -- For a 3rd consecutive day, the United States connected Wednesday issued sanctions targeting Iran arsenic the Trump medication attempts to negociate a caller atomic arms woody with the Middle Eastern country.

The punitive measures imposed by the Treasury Department are secondary sanctions, meaning those aimed and punishing 3rd parties for dealing with antecedently designated entities, individuals and countries.

The sanctions people six individuals and 12 entities successful China and Iran accused of aiding Tehran root the manufacturing of captious materials utilized successful the Islamic state's ballistic rocket program, specifically c fibre materials utilized successful the operation of intercontinental rockets.

The State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce explained successful a statement that Iran is "heavily reliant connected China to behaviour its malign activities successful the Middle East."

The targets enactment with the U.S.-sanctioned elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

"The United States cannot let Iran to make intercontinental ballistic missiles," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said successful a statement.

"The Iranian regime's relentless and irresponsible pursuit of precocious ballistic rocket capabilities, including its efforts to indigenize its accumulation capacity, represents an unacceptable menace to the United States and the stableness of the region."

The sanctions are the 3rd batch of Iran-targeted punitive measures that the Trump medication has imposed this week arsenic it engages successful negotiations with Iran connected a caller statement aimed astatine preventing Tehran from securing a atomic limb -- a extremity agelong held by President Donald Trump.

In 2018, during his archetypal word successful the White House, Trump slapped sanctions connected Iran and unilaterally pulled the United States from a landmark Obama-era multinational accord, calling it "defective astatine its core."

He pursued a alleged maximum unit run of sanctions and different punitive measures, but failed to coerce Iran backmost to the negotiating table, and it alternatively precocious its atomic weapons capableness to the constituent the U.S. authorities estimated successful 2022 that it would request conscionable a week to nutrient capable weapons-grade highly-enriched uranium for a atomic weapon.

In February, Trump reinstated his maximum unit policy, which includes the caller batches of further sanctions.

The United States and Iran person had 4 caller negotiations connected a caller deal, but determination does not look to beryllium a 5th circular scheduled yet.

Trump medication officials person said a woody would spot Iran dismantle its 3 enrichment facilities, but Iranian officials person said it volition not halt enriching uranium but would beryllium unfastened to restrictions.

Trump is successful the Middle East this week for a four-day trip, and has repeatedly voiced optimism that a woody tin beryllium made.

"I person a feeling it's going to enactment out. I deliberation it's going to work. It's got to enactment out, 1 mode oregon the different we cognize it's going to enactment out," Trump said during a property conference Wednesday successful Doha, Qatar.

Later to reporters aboard Air Force One, helium was much nonstop with his threats against Iran.

"One mode oregon the other. It's precise simple. It's going to hap 1 mode oregon the other. They can't person a atomic weapon. So, we volition either bash it friendly, oregon we volition bash it precise unfriendly, and that won't beryllium pleasant," helium said.

The Trump medication has said it has sanctioned much than 250 people, entities and vessels related to Iran and its proxies since February.