AP, Valletta, Malta, 22 Dec 2011 – Malta says it supports U.S. and European efforts to crack down on Iranian companies operating from this tiny Mediterranean country.
The Foreign Ministry said Thursday that while it will not physically shut them down it will apply international sanctions that will bar them from entering into new deals or contracts.
The EU and Washington tightened sanctions against Iran after a report by the United Nations` International Atomic Energy Agency said that Iran had carried out tests in connection with the development of a nuclear device.
The Obama administration Tuesday added 10 Iranian shipping countries and a shipping executive based in Malta to a blacklist that freezes any assets and bars Americans from doing business with them.