China state firms targeted by U.S. lawmakers for allegedly helping Iran

NEW YORK -- Republican legislators on the House of Representatives' influential China-focused committee on Friday urged the U.S. to investigate six Chinese state-owned companies for allegedly helping Iran evade U.S. sanctions.

The Department of Treasury should provide an analysis on whether the activities of state-owned military, oil and shipping companies and their subsidiaries should be subject to secondary sanctions for assisting Iran's energy sector and military, the lawmakers said in a letter sent that day.