The US Department of Commerce has blacklisted 12 Chinese companies for supplying or attempting to supply Iran with US-origin electronics for the Iranian military.

“These entities use deceptive practices to supply or attempt to supply Iran with US-origin electronics that would ultimately provide support to Iran's military,” the official journal of the federal government the Federal Register said on Thursday. 

The entities are added to the Entity List that means US suppliers need a license before they can ship items to the listed companies.

The companies were among 23 Chinese firms that were added to the trade blacklist this week, including five linked to arms sales to Russia since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. In addition to the five Chinese firms, companies in other countries such as Uzbekistan, the United Kingdom, Vietnam and Lithuania were identified as supplying military goods to the Russian military since February, when the war began.

Earlier in June, the US Thursday sanctioned Chinese, Emirati and Iranian firms over exporting Iran's petrochemicals in a measure aimed at pushing Iran to renew the 2015 nuclear deal.

Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said, “The United States is pursuing the path of meaningful diplomacy to achieve a mutual return to compliance with the Joint Comprehensive
Plan of Action,” but would “continue to use our sanctions to limit exports of petroleum, petroleum products, and petrochemical products from Iran.”