US sanctions target Iran's auto, rail sectors as blockade chokes ship lanes
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration imposed sanctions on Iran's rail and auto sectors and their foreign suppliers, the Treasury Department said on Thursday, widening its wartime economic campaign to isolate Tehran. The sanctions are part of the department's "Operation Economic Outcast," announced August 24, which aims to cut Tehran's funding for the war, missile construction, cyberattacks and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or IRGC. The move extends U.S. economic pressure on Iran from sea to land, targeting sectors Tehran has leaned on since a naval blockade cut off its oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. But the expanding sanctions risk inflicting severe costs on ordinary Iranians, one analyst said. The U.S. blockade of Iranian ports has forced Tehran to rely more on autos and rail for transporting petroleum, fertilizer, chemicals and other goods. Thursday's sanctions target those alternatives, according to the Treasury Department. The sanctions designate Iran Khodro Company, or IKCO, and SAIPA Iranian Automobile Manufacturing Company, or SAIPA. Treasury said the two c
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