The US Treasury Department has introduced new sanctions against Iran, as well as against Russia, according to the departmentʼs website.
Seven people and four legal entities from Iran, China, Russia, and Turkey involved in the development of Iranian drones and military aircraft fell under the restrictions. The sanctions concern the Iranian Aviation Industry Company (HESA), which produces Iranʼs Ababil and Shahed series of UAVs. In particular, the list includes:
- Mehdi Gogerdchian is the managing director of HESA and a member of the companyʼs board of directors (Iran);
- Hamidreza Noori — Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of HESA (Iran);
- Husayn A’ini is HESAʼs director of UAV production and oversees the companyʼs UAV trials in Syria;
- Chinese companies Shenzhen Jiasibo and Dong Wenbo, which contributed to the supply of UAVs;
- Su Chunpeng is the managing director and owner of Shenzhen Jiasibo;
- Mehmet Tokdemir and Alaaddin Aykut from Turkey, who assisted HESA in financial transactions;
- Russian companies Delta-Aero, JSC SPE Aerosila and JSC Star, which tested HESAʼs products and had a contract to repair its aircraft.
On July 20, the Council of the European Union adopted additional sanctions against Iran for its military support for the regime in Syria and Russiaʼs war against Ukraine. The export of components for the production of drones from the EU to Iran was banned. New travel restrictions and asset freezes have also been imposed on people responsible for, supporting or involved in UAV production programs.