US Sanctions Iranian Drones Manufacturer

By Staff, Agencies

The US imposed new sanctions against Iran, this time targeting an Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles manufacturer under the unsubstantiated and disproven pretext that the Islamic Republic has provided Russia with the drones to be used by Moscow against Ukraine.

The United States Treasury Department slapped the sanctions on Friday against six executives and board members of Iran's Quds Aviation Industries [QAI].

It described the targeted body as a key Iranian defense industry manufacturer responsible for designing and producing drones.

The Islamic Republic has, on repeated occasions, roundly rejected Washington's allegations.

Last month, Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani said Ukrainian officials had failed to provide any evidence for their claim that Russia was using Iranian drones in its February-present war on Ukraine.

Speaking following a technical meeting between Ukrainian and Iranian specialists, he said the Ukrainian side had stopped short of “presenting any evidence during the meeting of Russia’s use of Iranian drones in the war with this country.”

The US Treasury Department, however, alleged, |We will continue to use every tool at our disposal to deny [Russian President Vladimir] Putin the weapons that he is using....”

The Friday sanctions also targeted the director of Iran's Aerospace Industries Organization, which the Treasury claimed, was the key organization responsible for overseeing Iran's ballistic missile programs.