United States imposed sanctions against Iranian manufacturer of UAV components
The United States imposed sanctions on an Iranian company that produced components for drones used by Russia in its war against Ukraine.
This was reported by the US Department of the Treasury, Censor.NET informs citing Voice of America.
In addition to this company, the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control has imposed sanctions on 7 other companies, 11 individuals and one vessel based in Iran, Hong Kong, China and Venezuela, which provide components for Iran's ballistic missile and unmanned aerial vehicle programmes.
"Iran's reckless choice to continue to proliferate UAVs and other weapons is prolonging numerous conflicts in regions around the world," said Brian Nelson, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.
He stressed that the United States will continue to take steps to prevent Iran from proliferating UAVs and other weapons to repressive regimes. "We urge the international community to do the same," Nelson added.
Among the companies sanctioned by the US Treasury is Iran's Sarmad (Sarmad Electronic Sepahan Company), which produced components for the Mohajer-6 UAVs shot down by Ukrainian forces. The Mohajer-6 is a drone that provides intelligence and surveillance, but is also capable of carrying out strikes.
It is manufactured by the Iranian company Qods Aviation Industries (QAI). This drone was used by Russian troops in Ukraine. Sanctions against QAI were imposed by the United States in December 2013.
Since September 2022, 10 rounds of sanctions have been announced against Iran's UAV programme.
In September 2023, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed sanctions on 5 entities and 2 individuals from Iran, China, Hong Kong, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates who were involved in the procurement of critical components for Iran's Shahed drone programme. The sanctioned network facilitated supplies and financial transactions in support of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. One of the engine components procured by the network was found in the wreckage of a Russian Shahed-136 kamikaze drone recently shot down in Ukraine.
