Iranian officials have warned the White House in recent months that any such financial penalties would be viewed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as a violation of the nuclear accord.

Senior U.S. officials have said the Treasury retained a right under the agreement to blacklist Iranian entities allegedly involved in missile development, as well as those that support international terrorism and human-rights abuses. Officials view those activities as separate from the nuclear deal.

Critics of the administration said Wednesday that the impending sanctions are paltry compared with the amount of sanctions relief Iran is set to get next year under the nuclear deal.

But they also acknowledged that the measures could feed into Iranian politics and national elections scheduled for late February. Hard-line politicians in Tehran have attacked President Hassan Rouhani and his allies for the terms of the nuclear deal.