US sanctions 3 individuals, 4 entities over links to Iranian military

The United States has announced new sanctions on Iranian and non-Iranian individuals and entities that it claims have been linked to Iran's military programs to design and develop legal weapons.

The US Departments of State and Treasury on Wednesday announced separate sanctions related to Iran’s production of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and missiles.

A total of three individuals and four entities, one of them based outside Iran, were targeted by the sanctions.

The US Department of State said on its website that it had targeted Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Aerospace Force (IRGC ASF) Deputy Commander Brigadier General Majid Mousavi for engaging in activities that have “materially contributed” to Iran’s ballistic missile program.

It also imposed sanctions on two entities, which it did not name, but said had assisted Iran’s production of Shaheed-136 one-way attack UAVs.

The Department repeated its previous claims that Iran had supplied Shaheed-136 UAVs to Russia for use in its war with Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) also released a statement on the Treasury’s website saying that it had imposed sanctions on the Iran-based Sanat Danesh Rahpuyan Aflak Company, its CEO Mohammed Abedini Najafabadi and Chief Technology Officer Kaveh Merat as well as on the Switzerland-based Illumove SA, which it said was directly controlled by the Iranian company and its CEO.

OFAC said the two companies and the managers had been sanctioned because of their role in developing and procuring components for sensitive navigational systems for the Self-Sufficiency Jihad Organization, an entity run by the IRGC ASF.

Iran has repeatedly rejected accusations about its missile and UAV production programs, including claims it has been supplying the weapons to Russia for use in the Ukraine war.

Iranian authorities say Washington’s sanctions are solely aimed at forcing Iran to accept a series of political and military concessions.

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