The Trump administration on Monday imposed counterterror sanctions on Iran’s Ministry of Petroleum, the National Iranian Oil Company and its tanker subsidiary in a pre-election move that analysts say will make it more difficult for the pressure campaign to be reversed in the future. The Treasury Department also blacklisted more than a dozen other major Iranian state energy firms and their subsidiaries, as well as top officials at the ministry and the firms, including the National Petrochemical Company and the National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company. The action comes amid concern within the administration that Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, who is leading in most battleground-state polls , could ease sanctions after promising on the campaign to re-engage with Iran, should he win next week’s election. The Treasury Department, in issuing the sanctions, said Iran’s petroleum ministry, state oil giant […]