US sanctions Chinese company Zhuhai Zhenrong - report

The United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has announced that US will impose sanctions Chinese company Zhuhai Zhenrong and its CEO for violating Iran sanctions, according to media reports. The move has come when tensions between the US and Iran have been escalating for a few weeks.

Iranian media reported on Monday that Iran had captured 17 spies working for CIA and some had been sentenced to death. Donald Trump rejected the "reports of Iran capturing CIA spies is totally false. Zero truth. Just more lies and propaganda (like their shot down drone) put out by a Religious Regime that is Badly Failing and has no idea what to do. Their Economy is dead and will get much worse. Iran is a total mess!'

Tensions between the US and Iran escalated in May after the US scrapped sanctions waivers for major importers of Iranian oil and sent a carrier strike group to the Middle East, citing an 'imminent threat' from Iran. In mid-May and then again in mid-June, multiple tankers were sabotaged off the coast of the UAE and in the Gulf of Oman. The US immediately blamed Iran for the sabotage. Tehran vocally denied the charges and accused Washington and its regional allies of attempting to exacerbate tensions in the region. On 20 June, Iran shot down a US spy drone it said was operating in its territory, with US President Donald Trump reportedly mulling airstrikes against the Islamic Republic before reconsidering at the last minute.