UPDATE - US sanctions 13 people, 12 companies for Iran actions

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By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The U.S. on Friday unleashed a fresh wave of sanctions on Iran, blacklisting 13 individuals and 12 companies.

The economic penalties are the first official actions taken against Tehran after President Donald Trump's National Security Advisor Michael Flynn said the U.S. was officially "putting Iran on notice" for a ballistic missile test and support for Yemen's Houthi rebels.

Flynn, a former Obama administration official, has long urged a more hardline stance against Iran.

The actions Friday follow Iran's Jan. 29 missile test and target individuals and entities who support the missile program, as well as the wing of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps responsible for carrying out foreign operations, the Quds Force.

Among those designated are the Abdollah Asgharzadeh Network, the Gulf-Based Rostamian Network MKS International, Ervin Danesh Aryan Company and Mostafa Zahedi, Mohammad Magham, and Ghodrat Zargari and Zist Tajhiz Pooyesh Company.

The Treasury Department said all had worked to assist Iran's ballistic missile program.

It also designated what it says is a Lebanon-based support network for the Quds Force consisting of four individuals and four companies.

Ali Sharifi, an Iranian national, was also designated "for acting for or on behalf of the" the force, particularly for the procurement of aviation spare parts, according to the Treasury Department.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker said shortly after the decision was announced that it "makes clear that it is a new day in U.S.-Iran relations.

“A coordinated, multi-faceted effort to pushback against a range of illicit Iranian behavior is long overdue," he said in a statement.

Speaking to reporters, a senior Trump administration who declined to be named publicly due to a lack of authorization, said Iran's weekend missile test is "inconsistent" with UN Security Council resolution 2231.

The article calls on Tehran "not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such ballistic missile technology."

The resolution was passed shortly after a landmark nuclear accord that world powers, including the U.S., signed with Iran in 2015 to curb its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

The official said actions Friday fall "outside of" the parameters of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Another official speaking on similar terms confirmed that no individuals or entities designated in the latest wave of sanctions are re-designations of those removed from the blacklist in 2015.

"The designations taken today were to combat activity outside of the JCPOA,” the official said noting that a multi-billion dollar deal with Boeing, is not "directly effected".