US slaps sanctions on BelOMO and Beltechexport

The United States has imposed sanctions on a number of foreign companies dealing with Iran and North Korea.

US Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg said the aim of the sanctions was to prevent Iran from developing its energy sector, which can be used, Washington fears, to produce nuclear weapons, Radio Svaboda reports.

The United States imposes sanctions on 16 entities, individuals and companies, in Belarus, China, North Korea, Syria and Venezuela for selling Iran, North Korea and Syria technologies related to nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and ballistic missile systems.

“These include companies – include three Chinese entities and one Chinese individual, two Belarusian entities, five Iranian entities, and one Iranian individual, one North Korean entity, two Syrian entities, and one Venezuelan entity. These entities were sanctioned for the transfer to or acquisition from North Korea, Syria, or Iran of goods, services, or technologies controlled under the various export control regimes, or otherwise have the potential to make a material contribution to the developments of WMD or cruise or ballistic missile systems,” James Steinberg said.

The sanctioned firms and individuals cannot enter into US government contracts, participate in US assistance programmes, buy US weapons and receive licenses to buy them for a period of two years.

Sanctions are imposed on two Belarusian entities, BelOMO (Belarusian Optical and Mechanical Association) and Beltechexport. BelOMO produces optical equipment used, in particular, in missile systems. Beltechexport is a commercial firm dealing with a greater part of Belarus’s weapon export.

The United States imposed sanctions on Beloruneft, the Belarusian state-owned energy company, in March 2011 for its contract with NaftIran Intertrade. The administration of Obama sanctioned Belorusneft for investing $500mn in the Iranian firm accused of involvement in Iran’s nuclear programme.