New US sanctions target Iran's Revolutionary Guard over Houthi missile support

The US slapped sanctions on five senior Iranian officials for allegedly providing missile-related technical support to Yemen's Houthi rebels, the US treasury announced on Tuesday.

"Treasury is targeting five Iranian officials who are associated with the IRGC-QF [Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force] and Iran's ballistic missile programmes," Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin said in a statement.

"Their actions have enabled the Houthis to launch missiles at Saudi cities and oil infrastructure."

The new measures come a day after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned Tehran would be hit with the "strongest sanctions in history" in his first major foreign policy address since moving to the State Department from the CIA.

"The United States will not tolerate Iranian support for Houthi rebels who are attacking our close partner, Saudi Arabia," Mnuchin added.

"All countries in the region should be on guard to prevent Iran from sending its personnel, weapons, and funds in support of its proxies in Yemen."

The US treasury named the individuals as Mahmud Bagheri Kazemabad, Mohammad Agha Jafari, Javad Bordbar Shir Amin, Mehdi Azarpisheh and Sayyed Mohammad Ali Haddadnezhad.

The officials are accused of providing ballistic missile-related technical expertise to Yemen's Houthis on behalf of the IRGC-QF. 

"As President Trump made clear in his May 8, 2018 decision to cease the United States' participation in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the United States in taking action to neutralise Iran's campaign of regional aggression," the treasury statement said.

Instead of suggesting a re-negotiation of the Iran deal, Pompeo on Monday outlined 12 tough conditions from Washington for any "new deal" with Tehran to make sure it "will never again have carte blanche to dominate the Middle East."

These essentially address every aspect of Iran's missile programme and what the US calls its "malign influence" across the region, including support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Hizballah and Houthi rebels in Yemen.