Iranian drone maker under US sanctions  for supplying Moscow

The United States has hit six executives and board members of an Iranian drone manufacturer with sanctions after the firm allegedly supplied Russia with drones that Russian forces have been using to attack Ukraine.

Tehran based Qods Aviation Industries, a previously sanctioned Iranian defense manufacturer, is alleged to be responsible for the design and production of unmanned aerial vehicles used to conduct strikes on civilians during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Treasury Department says the firm changed its name to Light Airplanes Design and Manufacturing Industries in mid-2020 to evade sanctions.

The financial penalties imposed by Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control highlight the growing tension between the United States and Iran over reviving the 2015 nuclear deal as well as US allegations of Russia and Iran deepening cooperation through shared military assistance as the war rages on.

“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 latest sanctions follow a round imposed on Iranian-based Shahed Aviation Industries Research Center, which the US says designs and produces drones used by Russian forces in Ukraine, and several firms that are said to facilitate the transfer of Iranian drones to Russia.