The United States has slapped fresh sanctions against Iran, this time targeting drone manufacturers accusing them of producing drones that Russian forces used to attack Ukrainian targets.
The US Department of Commerce put new trade restrictions on seven Iranian companies and organizations on Tuesday, under the unsubstantiated and disproven pretext that the Islamic Republic has provided Russia with the UAVs to be used by Moscow against Ukraine.
These firms were allegedly engaged in hostile activities that were contrary to US national security and foreign policy interests, the department said.
The new additions, which will be officially published on Wednesday, were posted in a preliminary filing in the US Federal Register, the government's daily journal.
The seven Iranian entities targeted in the fresh US sanctions against Iran are the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Research and Self-Sufficiency Jihad Organization, Owj'e Parvaz'e Ma Do Nafar Company, Pars Par-Avar Company, Qods Aviation Industries, Shahed Aviation Industries, Design and Manufacturing of Aircraft Engines Company, and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force.
The new directive by the US Commerce Department specifies that any firm aiming to sell its products to these 7 Iranian firms added to its "entities list" needed to apply for obtaining licenses to ship the goods and technology, which would probably be rejected by the officials.
Meanwhile, in a similar move, the European Union (EU) is reportedly planning to impose sanctions on dozens of Iranian individuals amid its efforts to blacklist Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps as a "terrorist organization,” despite Tehran expressing strong warnings about the consequences of such a hostile measure.
In this regard, an Iranian lawmaker voiced the nation's unwavering support for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for the role it plays in defending, not only the country but also, the world.
Gholamreza Shariati said earlier this week that the Daesh terrorist group would have reached the heart of Europe by now if it was not for the sacrifices made by Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps.
Shariati rebuked the countries that wanted to add the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to its "terror list."
His remarks came after the European Parliament on Wednesday adopted an amendment calling on the EU and its member states to include the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on their "terror list." It also passed another resolution on Thursday, calling for more sanctions against Iranian individuals and entities and putting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on the EU terrorist list over alleged human rights violations during the recent riots.
Shariati said if it were not for the Guards, the Daesh terrorist group “would have been in central Europe today.” The Guards risked their lives to secure the world, he reminded them.
He expressed the Iranian nation’s all-out support for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, saying the EU's plan to blacklist the Guards, would not weaken the force.