US has expanded sanctions against Iran, adding to the restrictive lists Iran’s construction sector and imposing a ban on the supply of a number of materials that can be used for nuclear and missile programs, Reuters reported.

According to the State Department, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had determined Iran’s construction sector was controlled directly or indirectly by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which Washington regards as a foreign terrorist organization.

The ban covers the supply of four types of materials (varieties of steel pipes, foil, etc.), which, according to the US, can be used in nuclear or missile programs.

The State Department extended the exemptions allowing Russia, China and European countries to continue working at Iranian nuclear facilities, which would not allow Tehran to use these facilities for nuclear research.