Washington designated for sanctions an Iranian executive and four entities associated with the Iran-based Rayan Roshd Afzar Company that secure parts for the Islamic Republic’s drone program.
“Today’s action reinforces our commitment to disrupt Iran’s production and proliferation of deadly UAVs that continue to be used by Russia against Ukraine and by regional terrorist proxies against our troops,” stated Brian Nelson, the U.S. under secretary of the Treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence, on Friday. (Unmanned aerial vehicles are more commonly referred to as drones.)
“Treasury will continue to impose costs on those who seek to procure the components Iran needs for its UAV programs and enable the shipment of these weapons to destabilizing actors around the world,” the U.S. official added.
The Treasury Department and its Office of Foreign Assets Control designated the Iran-based companies Rayan Fan Kav Andish, Kish Mechatronics, Fanavarihaye Hava Pishran Sazeh Sepehr and Mersad Mohajer, as well as Afshin Khajeh Fard, an Iran-based executive of Iran Aviation Industries Organization.
The latter, the Treasury says, is a subsidiary of the Iranian Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics, which oversees the drone-making companies, Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company and Qods Aviation Industries.
Nikki Haley, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations who is visiting Israel, posted on Thursday about the Iranian drone program.
“We always hear when rockets are fired from Hamas toward Israel. But what we don’t hear about are the dangers from Lebanon. Every single day, Iran’s proxy Hezbollah shoots rockets and flies drones into northern Israel,” Haley wrote. “60,000 Israelis living there have been evacuated from their homes for months.
“When will the world stop blaming Israel and turn its attention toward the world’s top sponsor of terrorism, Iran?” she continued. “America should not be withholding weapons from Israel. We should put sanctions back on Iran. This is not difficult—it’s a difference between right and wrong, good and evil.”
