The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on 11 foreign companies and three individuals, including six Chinese firms and two Chinese nationals, accusing them of helping to facilitate Iran's export of petroleum, petroleum products and petrochemicals in violation of U.S. sanctions.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury on Thursday said it imposed sanctions on six companies based in Iran, the United Arab Emirates and China for enabling the shipment and sale of Iranian petrochemicals.

On the same day, the U.S. State Department also slapped sanctions on five companies for engaging in transactions related to Iran's petroleum and petrochemical industry, as well as on three officers of the blacklisted firms.

The U.S. has imposed sanctions several times on Chinese entities in connection with Iran. In May this year, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian urged the U.S. to immediately stop the illegal acts of imposing sanctions on Chinese entities, vowing to firmly safeguard legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies.

Zhao's remark was in response to U.S. sanctions on a Chinese logistics company, which the U.S. said works with Iranian Mahan Air.

On August 15, the United Nations Security Council rejected a resolution tabled by the U.S. that would extend the current arms embargo against Iran. China's Ambassador to the UN Zhang Jun said in a statement after the vote that the result "once again shows that unilateralism receives no support and bullying will fail."

(Cover: File photo: An oil facility in the Khark Island, on the shore of the Gulf. /Xinhua)

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