The U.S. designated an Iranian entity and its head that Washington said were “involved in Iran’s chemical weapons research and… subordinate to the Iranian Organisation of Defensive Innovation and Research, also known as SPND”. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin asserted that “Iran’s development of weapons of mass destruction is a threat to the security of its neighbours and the world”, while the State Department asserted that the designee organisation, Shahid Meisami Group, was “engaged in activities raising concerns regarding Iran’s obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention, including SPND projects for which it was responsible involving the testing and production of chemical agents for use as so-called chemical incapacitation agents”. The State Department went on to express concern regarding Tehran’s “true intent with regard to the testing and production of these so-called chemical incapacitation agents, which could be used either to further oppress Iranian citizens or for offensive purposes”.