New Delhi, July 31 -- The United States government on July 30 announced sanctions against "entities that have traded in Iran's petroleum", affecting at least six India-based companies, besides seven others, an official release showed.

It stated that 13 entities, which have "engaged in the trans-shipment, sale, and purchase of Iranian-origin petrochemicals" are being targetted. Besides India and Iran's own businesses, others impacted include companies based in China, Indonesia, Turkiye, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

It added that the action against 13 associated businesses "across multiple jurisdictions" comes as Iran's petrochemical industry and exports "are a critical sector of the Iranian economy and have grown in recent years t...