By McClatchy-Tribune News Service
By McClatchy-Tribune News Service
US targets those evading sanctions
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration Thursday blacklisted more than a dozen companies and individuals for allegedly helping Iran evade international sanctions, in a move aimed at showing it would maintain pressure on Tehran even after an interim nuclear deal reached last month in Geneva.
Administration officials described the addition of 17 companies and individuals to the federal blacklist as a sign it would vigorously enforce existing sanctions, which President Barack Obama said were crucial in bringing the Iranian regime to the negotiating table.
The Geneva deal “does not, and will not, interfere with our continued efforts to expose and disrupt those supporting Iran’s nuclear program or seeking to evade our sanctions,” David Cohen, the Treasury Department’s undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a statement.
Sick get more time to select health plan
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration moved Thursday to help tens of thousands of sick Americans who struggled to enroll in health coverage for next year because of problems with the rollout of new insurance marketplaces.
The Department of Health and Human Services announced patients enrolled in special insurance plans for consumers denied coverage elsewhere would be able to stay on those plans until the end of January.