The following is a press statement from State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller released on July 12, 2024.
United States Imposes Sanctions Targeting Iran’s Chemical Weapons Research and Development
The Department of State is today imposing sanctions on Hakiman Shargh Research Company for its involvement in Iran’s chemical weapons research and development. These sanctions are being imposed pursuant to Executive Order 13382, which targets proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and their supporters.
The United States is designating the company for engaging or attempting to engage in activities or transactions that materially contribute to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction by Iran. This sanctions action follows the United States’ repeated calls for Iran to remedy its noncompliance with the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), including at this week’s meeting of the Executive Council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
Since 2018, the United States has assessed Iran as being in noncompliance with the CWC for its failure to fully declare its chemical weapons-related activities and facilities, and in 2024, the United States further assessed that Iran has violated the CWC due to its development of pharmaceutical-based agents as part of a chemical weapons program. The United States will continue to counter any efforts by the Iranian regime to develop chemical weapons, including those that may be used by its proxies and partners to support Iran’s destabilizing agenda of inciting and prolonging conflict around the world.