The United States is imposing sanctions on one individual and two entities based in Iran that support Iran's production of ballistic missiles and drones, which continue to destabilize the Middle East and enable Russia's war against Ukraine, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller announced on Wednesday local time.
The State Department claimed that these two entities are helping Iran produce Shahid-136 explosive drones that Tehran has supplied to Russia for use against Ukraine, a charge Tehran rejects and says 'small number' of drones were sent to Russia months before war began but denies supply continues
It also announced blacklisting Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Aerospace Force (IRGC ASF) Deputy Commander claiming, “Brigadier General Sayyed Hosein Majid Mousavi Eftekhari has been engaged in activities that have materially contributed to Iran’s ballistic missile program”.
The State Department’s anti-Iran measures came hours after the US Treasury announced on Wednesday local time that it has imposed new sanctions on two individuals and two entities alleging them of facilitating for procuring sensitive navigational systems for Iran.
“Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is sanctioning two entities and two individuals for their role in developing and procuring components for sensitive navigational systems for the Iranian military”, the US Treasury said in a statement.
“Treasury’s action was taken in coordination with the Department of Commerce and the Department of Justice, the latter of which charged and helped coordinate the arrest of one of the individuals OFAC is sanctioning today”, it added.
“Iran continues to try to acquire these critical components covertly to facilitate the production of its ballistic missile and UAV weapon systems,” said Acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley T. Smith.
The statement called for seizure and blockade of all property and interests of the designated persons and entities blacklisted.
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller had previously stated that Washington has imposed more than 600 sanctions on Iranian individuals and entities since the beginning of the Biden administration.
The United States under President Donald Trump unilaterally withdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in May 2018 and implemented the most severe sanctions against Iran. The current administration continued imposing sanctions on Iran under various pretexts and in line with Washington’s so-called “maximum pressure” on Tehran.
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