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U.K. Goes Beyond U.N. to Blacklist Iranian Bank, Shipper
By Brian Monroe
printThe United Kingdom banned British financial institutions Monday from transacting business with an Iranian shipping company and one of Iran's five state-owned banks. The decision by Her Majesty's Treasury (HMT) to sanction Bank Mellat and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines was based on evidence that the companies have aided "both Iran's ballistic missile and nuclear" weapons programs, according to a statement by Treasury Minister Sarah McCarthy-Fry. The possibility of a nuclear-armed Iran "poses a significant risk to the national interests of the U.K.," McCarthy-Fry said in the statement. While the U.K. wants a more "productive" relationship with Iran, the...
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