U.S. targets Iranian firms over nuclear program

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury said on Tuesday it has designated four Iranian firms for their ties to the country's nuclear and missile programs, a move that bans U.S. companies from dealing with them and freezes any assets they may have under U.S. jurisdiction.

"Iran's nuclear and missile firms hide behind an array of agents that transact business on their behalf," said Stuart Levey, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.

Treasury designated Shahid Sattari Industries, which is involved in the manufacturing and maintenance of ground support equipment for the Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group.

Seventh of Tir was named for its ties to Iran's centrifuge development program, and Ammunition and Metallurgy Industries Group was listed for its relationship with Seventh of Tir, which it controls.

The department also designated Parchin Chemical Industries, an element of Iran's Defense Industries Organization's chemical industries group and identified as the final recipient of sodium perchlorate monohydrate, a chemical precursor for solid propellant oxidizer, possibly to be used for ballistic missiles.

Treasury also identified four individuals: Dawood Agha-Jani, Moshen Hojati, Mehrdada Akhlaghi Ketabachi and Naser Maleki for the work they do at companies involved with nuclear and missiles firms.

The actions were taken under an executive order that allows the Bush administration to ban transactions with proliferators of mass destruction and their supporters, and at isolating them from the U.S. financial and commercial systems.

(Reporting by Nancy Waitz, editing by Philip Barbara)