Biden removes sanctions on two entities connected to Iranian ballistic missile manufacturing

The Biden administration has removed Treasury Department sanctions against Iranian groups put in place by his predecessor.

According to The Hill, the Biden administration lifted sanctions on two Iranian companies who are involved with the country’s military missile programs.

(Technically the official announcement by the Treasury lists six deletions: "MAMMUT INDUSTRIAL GROUP P.J.S,"  "MAMMUT TEHRAN INDUSTRIAL GROUP," "MAMMUT INDUSTRIES," "MAMMUT INDUSTRIAL GROUP," "MAMMUT DIESEL," and "MAMMUT DIESEL COMPANY.")

Back in September 2020, the US Treasury Department under the Trump administration sanctioned both Mammut Industrial Group and their Mammut Diesel subsidiary because they were "key producers and suppliers of military-grade, dual-use goods for Iran’s missile programs."

The Hill attributed the push to delist the Mammut groups to the Ferrari & Associates law firm.

When a group is sanctioned is that any person or company in the United States is barred from doing business with the entity in question.

The difference between the Trump and the Biden administrations is their stance on the Iran nuclear accords. Former President Trump abandoned the Joint Comprehensive Plans of Action (JCPOA) in 2018. Whereas current President Biden is seeking to restart involvement in the JCPOA as a nuclear deterrent.

A Treasury Spokesperson gave a statement to The Hill saying that removing the two Mammut groups from the sanctions list does not  "reflect any change in U.S. government sanctions policy towards Iran. They have nothing to do with JCPOA negotiation efforts. The United States will continue to counter Iran’s destabilizing activities, including through implementation of our sanctions."

In April, Biden’s State Department expressed a willingness to remove sanctions on Iran in order to reassure nuclear deal compliance.

Negotiation fell apart for the administration over the summer. In fact, a similar story played out in July when the Treasury department removed sanctions against three Mammut Industrial group officials -- Behzad Daniel Ferdows, Mehrzad Manuel Ferdows, and Mohammad-Reza Dezfulian.

Last month at the United Nations General Assembly, Biden reiterated his willingness to rejoin the Iran nuclear deal. But Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi had scathing remarks about the USA in return.

"From the Capitol to Kabul, one clear message was sent to the world: the U.S.? hegemonic system has no credibility, whether inside or outside the country," Raisi said in his speech.