U.S. sanctions shipping, engineering firms with Iran ties

The United States sanctioned two engineering firms Wednesday for their ties to an elite Iranian military unit that has been branded a terrorist organization by the U.S. government.

Iran Maritime Industrial Company SADRA and it subsidiary, Deep Offshore Technology PJS, are connected with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force, the U.S. Department of the Treasury said.

"By designating the individuals and entities today, Treasury is sending a clear signal to the international community that Iran's attempts to evade international sanctions will not go unnoticed," Adam Szubin, director of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, said in a statement.