US introduces new Iran-related sanctions over alleged drone supplying

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
6 Jan 19:02

The US Treasury Department says it imposed sanctions on six executives and board members of Qods Aviation Industries.

The US Treasury Department in Washington, August 6, 2018 (Reuters)

The US Treasury Department confirmed on Friday that the United States imposed new sanctions targeting suppliers of Iranian drones, which Washington claims have been used by Russia in the Ukraine war.

In a statement, the Treasury Department said it imposed sanctions on six executives and board members of Qods Aviation Industries (QAI).

The Treasury Department claimed that Qods Aviation Industries, which has been under US sanctions since 2013, is a key Iranian defense manufacturer responsible for the design and production of drones.

"We will continue to use every tool at our disposal to deny Putin the weapons that he is using to wage his barbaric and unprovoked war on Ukraine," stressed US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in the statement.

In addition, the US Treasury also included the director of Iran's Aerospace Industries Organization, which according to the department, is responsible for overseeing Iran's ballistic missile programs, under the sanctions.

In accordance with imposed sanctions, the Treasury Department freezes any US assets of those designated and bars US citizens from dealing with them. In addition, those who engage in certain transactions with them also risk being hit with sanctions.

Earlier, Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia's permanent representative to Vienna-based international organizations, slammed the West for using allegations of Iranian drone deliveries to Russia as a "clumsy excuse" to put the Vienna talks on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal on hold, if not canceled entirely.

This is not the first time the US imposes sanctions against individuals and companies accused of producing or transferring Iranian drones to Russia despite Kiev failing to provide concrete evidence proving the use of Iranian drones during the Ukraine war.

In mid-November, the United States also introduced sanctions against Iran that target Iranian companies that produce and allegedly facilitate the transfer of Iranian drones to Russia.

On October 20, the European Union imposed sanctions against three Iranian individuals and one entity over claims of developing and delivering Iranian drones to Russia to use against Ukraine.

On November 5, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian pointed out that Tehran provided Moscow with a small batch of drones before the Ukraine war broke out. Russia had also repeatedly denied using Iranian drones in Ukraine.