On March 17, 2026, in Tehran, Iran, a new giant artwork banner has been put up in a corner of Vali Azr Square, depicting an Iranian missile and a message to the Minab schoolgirls and the victims of Epstein Island. =
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The State Department announced that the United States is imposing sanctions on companies and individuals in the Middle East and China for allegedly supporting Iran’s war effort.
The ministry said in a statement late Friday that the action targets 11 entities and three individuals based in Iran, China, Belarus and the United Arab Emirates.
“Today’s actions involve multiple China-based organizations providing satellite imagery to enable Iranian military attacks against U.S. forces in the Middle East,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.
“Additionally, we are designating entities and individuals who will enable Iranian military efforts to secure weapons and materials for application in Iran’s ballistic missile and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) programs,” Rubio said.
Rubio said Friday that the U.S. expected a response from Iran within the day regarding U.S. proposals to end the war.
Iranian state media, citing Iranian officials, said on Thursday that Iran was reviewing a message from the United States received through a Pakistani intermediary, but had not yet reached a conclusion or issued a response.
Axios and other media outlets reported earlier this week that the two countries were close to signing a 14-point memorandum of understanding to end the war and restart talks over Iran’s nuclear program.
Rubio’s comments came amid confusion over whether the ceasefire between Iran and the United States is still in effect, with Iran and the United States firing in the Strait of Hormuz and accusing the other of launching the attack.
President Donald Trump insisted on Thursday that the ceasefire was still in effect and called the attack “just a love tap.” President Trump also said that Iran “strongly desires a deal.”
“Overnight we saw reports that Iran has established or is about to establish some kind of agency to control traffic in the Strait, and that’s a problem. It’s actually not acceptable,” Rubio said Friday.
The blockage of this narrow waterway, which normally carries about a fifth of the world’s oil supplies, triggered a global energy shock. The International Energy Agency called the situation “the greatest energy security threat in history.”
—CNBC’s Elsa Ohlen and Kevin Breuninger contributed to this report.
