Iran’s military exercises a large number of missiles fired U.S. sanctions again, including China and other seven companies

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps recently held military exercises, firing a large number of ground-to-ground ballistic missiles, in addition to testing new homemade drones. The U.S. imposed sanctions on Iran, China and the United Arab Emirates for doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) and three Iranian organizations on the grounds of conventional weapons proliferation.

Iranian state-run television reported on the 15th that the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (Revolutionary Guards) recently held a military exercise.

The report said, “In the military exercise led by Iranian Revolutionary Guards Commander-in-Chief Hossein Salami, bombing drones attacked the imaginary enemy’s missile defense network from all sides, completely destroying the targets, and also launched a large number of new-generation ballistic missiles against selected targets to deal a fatal blow to the imaginary enemy’s base.

This comes on the heels of Iran’s test of a short-range maritime missile on the 13th, and a wide-scale test of a home-made drone earlier this month.

Reuters reports that the U.S. President Donald Trump‘s administration has again offered a series of measures to strengthen pressure on Iran on the 15th.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the U.S. has imposed sanctions on seven companies, including China’s Jiangyin Mascot Special Steel Co. The sanctions also targeted two people who transported steel to and from Iran.

He said Iran’s Marine Industries Organization, Aerospace Industries Organization, and Iran Aviation Industries Organization are also blacklisted for conventional weapons proliferation issues.

Meanwhile, under the management of the State Department, the United States has also expanded the scope of sanctions related to Iranian metals. Pompeo said people who knowingly divert 15 items of material that the State Department considers uses related to Iran’s nuclear, military or ballistic missile programs, including certain types of aluminum and steel, will be subject to sanctions.

In 2018 U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal with Iran signed in June 2015 on the grounds that the agreement was insufficient to deter Iranian-related activities. Since then, tensions between the two sides have gradually risen.