TEHRAN – The Iranian foreign ministry on Thursday imposed sanctions on nine United States companies and individuals in retaliation for new sanctions on the Islamic Republic over its missile program.

The US Treasury Department announced on Wednesday new sanctions on Iranian defense officials, an Iranian entity and a China-based network that supplied missile-applicable items to a key Iranian defense entity.

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Booz Allen Hamilton consulting company, DynCorp military firm and BIRD Foundation are among the sanctioned firms.

Iran accused Huntington Ingalls Industries of participating in the development of corvettes used by the Israeli regime against Palestinians, while DynCorp replaced Blackwater (a US private security firm) in Yemen under a $3-billion contract.

BIRD was sanctioned for supporting joint investment with Israeli and American companies in hi-tech industries benefiting the Israeli regime.

According to the ministry’s statement, the sanctioned US companies and individuals are accused of “direct or indirect cooperation with the Zionist regime in committing crimes against humanity in Palestine.”

They also backed “terrorist acts carried out by this (Zionist) regime; participation and assistance in supporting Takfiri terrorism and repression of people in the region; and effective cooperation in acts against the national security of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the statement added.

The ministry denounced that the measures taken by Washington on Wednesday aimed to undermine the positive effects of the nuclear agreement signed in Vienna in July 2015 between Iran and P5+1 (United States, China, Russia, United Kingdom, France plus Germany).

On Jan. 13, the US imposed sanctions on 13 people and 12 entities in relation to Iran’s ballistic missile program.