US sanctions Iranian drone, missile producers over supplies to Russia

The Biden administration on Friday issued new sanctions targeting Iranian drone and missile production, seeking to disrupt the flow of weapons Tehran is providing Moscow for its war in Ukraine.

“Iran has now become Russia’s top military backer,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. “Iran must cease its support for Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression in Ukraine, and we will continue to use every tool at our disposal to disrupt and delay these transfers and impose costs on actors engaged in this activity.”  

The U.S. blacklisted seven individuals in leadership positions with the Qods Aviation Industries, an Iranian defense manufacturer responsible for the design and production of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, Blinken continued. 

The individuals sanctioned include the director of Iran’s Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO), the primary organization responsible for overseeing Iran’s ballistic missile programs, the statement read. The U.S. also added AIO itself to its sanctions list. 

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement that Russia’s reliance on Iran signals how sanctions from a U.S.-led coalition are severing its ability to replace weapons lost on the battlefield. 

“The Kremlin’s reliance on suppliers of last resort like Iran shows their desperation…” Yellen said. 

“The United States will act swiftly against individuals and entities supporting Iran’s UAV and ballistic missile programs and will stand resolutely in support of the people of Ukraine.”

The sanctions block any assets held by the individuals in the U.S., as well as any entities in the U.S. that are owned, directly or indirectly, 50 percent or more by any of the blocked persons. 

The sanctions generally prohibit Americans or any person within the U.S. from dealing with individuals, including transactions transiting through the U.S. Further, any persons that engage in certain transactions with blacklisted individuals or entities risk being exposed to sanctions themselves. 

The new designations add to previous sanctions targeting Iran’s weapons industry, announced in September, November and December. 

Russia in recent months began attacking Ukraine with Iranian-made Shahed- and Mohajer-series UAVs, explosive-laden drones.

Russia’s so-called Kamikaze drones have been put to devastating effect in Ukraine, used to destroy critical infrastructure while also hitting residential buildings and other civilian areas. 

Russia has used these drones in concert with missiles, overloading Ukrainian air defenses to break through them.

Biden administration officials have warned that Iran is considering sending ballistic missiles to Russia, but has not said if Tehran has decided to follow through with such a move. 

Still, the U.S. says that the drone shipments to Russia violates United Nations Security Council resolution 2231, the resolution which enshrined the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and that laid out terms that Tehran must receive approval from the U.N. Security Council before engaging in transfers of military supplies.

The U.N. Security Council, however, is unlikely to take any action against Iran given Russia’s veto power.