The US sanctions companies which helped Iran import parts for drones

The US Treasury Department announced sanctions against a network of companies from Iran, China, Russia and Turkey that facilitated the smuggling of components for the production of Iranian aircraft and drones.

This has been announced in a statement by the US Treasury Department.

The new US sanctions target seven individuals and four legal entities from Iran, China, Russia and Turkey that facilitated the supply and financing of Iranian military aircraft and drones.

“Iran’s continued, deliberate proliferation of its UAVs enables Russia, its proxies in the Middle East, and other destabilising actors to undermine global stability,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson. “The United States will continue to take action against Iran’s UAV procurement networks, and encourages jurisdictions to exercise the due diligence necessary to prevent the export of these components to Iran.”

The US Treasury Department’s statement

The company in question is the Iranian Aeronautical Engineering and Scientific Industries Company (HESA), which, among other things, produces Shahed drones used by Russia against Ukraine. Although it has been under US sanctions since 2008, it has been using a new name for contracts since last year.

The current head of HESA, his deputy and production director, one Chinese company and its chief, three Russian companies and two Turkish citizens involved in the network of supplying components to Iran were subject to US sanctions.

The United States has been consistently imposing sanctions on individuals and entities associated with the production of drones in Iran.

According to media reports, the United States is trying to persuade Iran to stop selling attack drones to Russia as part of a broader “unwritten agreement” between Washington and Tehran to de-escalate tensions.

At the same time, media published evidence of Iranian Shahed drone production in Russia.