US N-sanctions on Indian firms

WASHINGTON: Two Indian firms, six Chinese government-run companies, and one Austrian company, involved in selling missile goods and chemical-arms materials to Iran, have been hit with US sanctions, says the Washington Times quoting unnamed Bush administration officials.

According to the newspaper report, these sanctions against the Indian and Chinese firms have been under consideration since April and were approved by Deputy Secretary of State Robert B Zoellick within the past several weeks. The announcement about the sanctions will be published in the US government’s Federal Register in the coming days and perhaps as early as Tuesday, the report said. At the same time the US government has announced that it has lifted the sanctions imposed last year on Chaudhary Surendar, one of  two Indian scientists, linked to Iran’s nuclear program. 

India had denied Surendar was linked to Iranian proliferation activities. The other scientist, Y S R Prasad, continues to face sanctions until they expire in September next. The two Indian chemical companies that have been brought under US sanctions,   are the Sabero Organics Chemical  and the Sandhya Organics Chemical.The sanctions were imposed under the Iran Nonproliferation Act.