On Wednesday, the Journal, citing U.S. officials, said the Obama administration was preparing to sanction nearly a dozen companies and individuals in Iran, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates for their role in developing Iran's ballistic-missile program.
The US sanctions were expected to be formally announced this week, the newspaper said.
Sources familiar with the situation confirmed to Reuters that the United States was preparing sanctions.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani ordered his defense minister on Thursday to expand Iran's missile program, in defiance of the U.S. threat to impose sanctions over a missile test Iran carried out in October.
