The Wall Street Journal has quoted some sources saying Washington is to impose new sanctions on Chinese surveillance companies over sales to Iran's security forces.

The report on Saturday said US officials are in advanced discussions on the sanctions and have zeroed in on Tiandy Technologies Company, an electrical equipment manufacturer based out of the Chinese city of Tianjin whose products have been sold to units of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

“Chinese customs data shows exports of video-recording equipment to Iran jumped last year amid mass protests sparked by the September death of a young woman while in police custody for allegedly violating the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code,” reported the WSJ on Saturday.

According to the Journal, the US is also looking at whether Zhejiang Uniview Technologies Co., another large Chinese provider based in the eastern Chinese tech hub of Hangzhou, has sold surveillance tools to Iran security forces.

“If implemented, the move could put the company at risk of being cut off from the American financial system and cripple its ability to conduct business in US dollars.”

Tiandy is a private firm based in the northern city of Tianjin, which ranks among the top video surveillance companies in China and the world.

An industry survey says the annual sales revenue of Tiandy was more than $800 million in 2021 with branches in over 60 countries.