FILE PHOTO - A man using a mobile phone passes the logo of global secure financial messaging services cooperative SWIFT at the SIBOS banking and financial conference in Toronto, Ontario, Canada October 19, 2017. REUTERS/Chris Helgren

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Friday that Belgian-based financial messaging service SWIFT could be hit with U.S. sanctions if it provides services to Iranian financial institutions that Washington blacklists.

“SWIFT is no different than any other entity,” Mnuchin told reporters on a conference call. “We have advised SWIFT that it must disconnect any Iranian financial institutions that we designate as soon as technologically feasible to avoid sanctions exposure.”