U.S. Sanctions Iranian Drone Procurement Network

The United States has imposed new sanctions on Iranian individuals and entities accused of procuring equipment to be used for the Islamic Republic’s drone and weapons programs.

The US Treasury Department said on March 21 that its Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) coordinated with the FBI to designate four firms and three people in Iran and Turkey for allegedly buying the equipment, which included “European-origin engines” of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV).

“Iran’s well-documented proliferation of UAVs and conventional weapons to its proxies continues to undermine both regional security and global stability,” Brian Nelson, Treasury’s undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a statement.

He added that the United States “will continue to expose foreign procurement networks in any jurisdiction that supports Iran’s military industrial complex."

The European Union, the United States and other countries have issued several waves of sanctions against the Islamic Republic in recent months over its crackdown on anti-government protests and its supply of drones to Russia for its war effort in Ukraine. 

Those targeted by the latest round of US sanctions include the Iran-based Defense Technology and Science Research Center, its procurement firm Farazan Industrial Engineering, two other firms and the companies’ purchasing agents.

Treasury said the procurement network operates on behalf of Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL), which oversees firms involved in the development of drones and ballistic missiles.

The sanctions deny those targeted access to any property or financial assets held in the United States and prevent US entities from doing business with them, the department said.