The U.S. agreed on new sanctions that will target suppliers of Iranian drones, which are believed to have been used to destroy civilian infrastructure in Ukraine during the Russian invasion of the country.
The U.S. Treasury Department announced it had decided to impose sanctions on six managers including executives and board members of Qods Aviation Industries (QAI), also known as the Light Airplanes Design and Manufacturing Industries.
BREAKING: Treasury sanctions 7 individuals from Qods Aviation Industries, an Iranian defense manufacturer that supplies drones used to target #Ukraine https://t.co/6xFCAYIAry
— Elizabeth Hagedorn (@ElizHagedorn) January 6, 2023
The U.S. Treasury Department described Qods Aviation Industries as a key Iranian military industry producer responsible for the design and production of drones. The company was on the U.S. sanction list since 2013.
“We will continue to use every tool at our disposal to deny Putin the weapons that he is using to wage his barbaric and unprovoked war on Ukraine,” Janet Yellen the Treasury Secretary said in the statement.
[email protected] announces new sanctions against Iran targeting its drone and missile production: pic.twitter.com/ipRXc8mrua
— Nick Kalman (@NickKalmanFN) January 6, 2023
Another person to appear on the sanction list is the director of Iran’s Aerospace Industries Organisation, which the Treasury described as the key organisation responsible for developing Iran’s ballistic missile programs.
The decision will bring about the freezing of any U.S. assets of those designated for sanctions, and will result in a further ban for Americans conducting business with said individuals. Those who deny complying with the ban, risk being targeted with sanctions.
This week for @60Minutes, @SecYellen and @TreasuryDepSec spoke about U.S. military and economic aid to Ukraine, Treasury’s sanctions, and why ending Russia’s war is important for the global economy. pic.twitter.com/cs6ZEzL0td
— Treasury Department (@USTreasury) December 12, 2022
Iran admitted sending drones to Russia when commenting that they had been sent over before Putin’s aggression on February 24, 2022. Russia still denies its using of Iran-made drones in Ukraine.