Trump administration imposes new sanction on Iran's space agencies

The Trump administration has imposed new sanctions on Iran's space agencies in a move that can aggravate tensions between the two countries.

The new sanctions targeted the Iran Space Agency and two of its research institutes, Xinhua news agency reported.

Tensions between Washington and Tehran have been on the rise since May last year following US President Donald Trump's controversial decision to pull out of the deal and the subsequent reimposition of crippling sanctions aimed at strangling Iran's economy.

In its latest efforts, Washington, last month blacklisted Iran vessel Adrian Darya 1, stating that it had "reliable information" that the ship was transporting oil to Syria in violation of European Union sanctions. In addition, the country also imposed sanctions on the ship's captain Akhilesh Kumar, reported Al Jazeera.

The vessel, officially called Grace 1, is at the centre of a confrontation between Tehran and Washington. Friday's decision implies that anyone who provides support to the tanker risks being sanctioned by the US.

Following new sanctions on space agencies, Iran Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi today said Tehran will not renegotiate the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, but good implementation of the deal can be the issue of negotiations, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.

On Tuesday, Iran President Hassan Rouh had also ruled out holding any bilateral talks with the United States, saying his country is strictly against any such negotiations in principle.

In an address to parliament, he noted, ''Iran was ready to further reduce its commitments to a landmark 2015 nuclear deal in the coming days if current negotiations yield no results by Thursday.''

( With inputs from ANI )