US sanctions Iran's Central Bank

Repots have emerged that US President Barack Obama has put in place tigther sanctions on Iran's government and the country's Central Bank. Obama has reportedly frozen the Islamic Republic's asses held or traded in the US.

On Sunday 5th February, Obama said US and Israel were “in lockstep” as regards their policy towards Iran.

Both countries, as well as many other Western nations, are worried that Iran is in the process of developing nuclear weapons. Tehran, however, maintains that the country's nuclear programme is designed for civilian use only.

The new sanctions include a block on the Central Bank of Iran; imposed "in light of the deceptive practices" it reportedly keeps in order to conceal business transactions already banned by previous sanctions.

For more news and expert analysis about Iran, please see Iran Strategic Focus.