US sanctions Iran drone manufacturers

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
4 Feb 2023 00:27

The United States has sanctioned eight top officials of Paravar Pars as part of its OFAC sanctions.

Military drone drills in Iran, on 25 August 2022 (AFP Photo)

The US Treasury Department announced new sanctions to be enforced on the board of directors of Iranian drone manufacturer Paravar Pars, noting that Russian drone attacks on Ukraine's vital infrastructure had been conducted with Iranian drones.

Eight top officials of Paravar Pars have been targets of the sanctions by the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), according to a statement from the department.

The drone manufacturing company was already sanctioned by the US and the EU under the pretext of supplying drones to the IRGC aerospace force.

"Iranian entities continue to produce UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) for Iran's IRGC and military. More broadly, Iran is supplying UAVs for Russia's combat operations to target critical infrastructure in Ukraine," the US Treasury's top sanctions official said in a statement.

The Treasury Department stated that as a result of Friday's action, all of the designated persons' property and interests that are in the country, or in the possession or control of the US government, must be blocked and reported to OFAC. The department added that those who trade with the sanctioned individuals may be subject to sanctions themselves.

Tehran gave a small batch of drones to Russia, but it was before the Ukraine war broke out, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on November 5.

Ukraine and its western allies have long been accusing Iran of supplying drones to Russia in the midst of the war. However, Tehran's statements once again struck down the allegations as false, proving that the Iranian drones seen in Ukraine's airspace were not provided to Moscow as the war was ongoing.

The top Iranian diplomat went on to remind how Tehran requested that Kiev provide it with proof and documentation of Moscow's use of Iranian UAVs.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said during an online briefing late last year that he submitted a proposal to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to formally break off diplomatic ties with Tehran.

During the briefing, Kuleba accused Iran of having supplied weapons to Russia despite having no evidence to support his claims, and so did Zelensky before him.

Russia's usage of Iranian drones has prompted Ukraine's allies to come together in various ways to try and help Kiev, with Turkey and the United States sending in drones and the Israeli occupation providing Kiev with intelligence on the Iranian drones being used in Ukraine, cementing Iran's capabilities when it came to its drone program.