The Treasury sanctions are directed at more than a dozen people and companies based in China, India and the United Arab Emirates.

U.S. concerns about Iran developing nuclear weapons are not a complicated issue and can be resolved given Tehran's opposition to weapons of mass destruction, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Wednesday,

US intelligence reveals that Iran is assembling a team of scientists to explore rapid methods for constructing a nuclear bomb, potentially reducing the timeline from years to months. US intelligence has disclosed that Iran has formed a group of scientists to investigate the possibilities of swiftly building a nuclear bomb.

Intelligence suggests that Iran could produce a crude nuclear device that could act as an immediate deterrent rather than an offensive threat.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a presidential memorandum reimposing a tough policy on Iran meant to block the country from achieving a nuclear weapon and to limit its oil exports.