US imposes sanctions on international network that helped Iran produce drones
On Tuesday, 1 April, the United States announced the imposition of sanctions against an international network that supplied Iran with components for its illegal drone programme. The network includes six organisations and two individuals.
This is stated in the report of the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the US Department of the Treasury (OFAC), Censor.NET informs.
"Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), in coordination with the U.S. Department of Justice, is targeting a network of six entities and two individuals based in Iran, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) responsible for the procurement of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) components on behalf of Iran-based Qods Aviation Industries (QAI)," the statement said.
The US Treasury Department has clarified that QAI is the leading production asset of Iran's unmanned systems programme.
The international network, which is now under US sanctions, also facilitated procurement for other organisations in Iran's military-industrial complex, including the Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company (HESA) and Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group (SBIG).
"Iran’s proliferation of UAVs and missiles—both to its terrorist proxies in the region and to Russia for its use against Ukraine—continues to threaten civilians, U.S. personnel, and our allies and partners. Treasury will continue to disrupt Iran’s military-industrial complex and its proliferation of UAVs, missiles, and conventional weapons that often end up in the hands of destabilizing actors, including terrorist proxies," Secretary of the US Treasury Department Scott Bessent commented on sanctions.
US Department of Justice files criminal charges
In parallel, the US Department of Justice announced criminal charges against two Iranian nationals and the Iranian company Rah Roshd Company (Rah Roshd) in the Eastern District of New York.
The defendants are alleged to have conspired to provide material support to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a designated foreign terrorist organisation.
The defendants also participated in a scheme to purchase US technology for Iranian attack drones.
Earlier it was reported that US President Donald Trump said he was studying reports on the use of Iranian kamikaze drones in Russia's war against Ukraine.
