The United States Treasury on Tuesday imposed sanctions on production firms that are believed to be responsible for sending Iranian drones to Russian troops to use against Ukraine.
The sanctions seek to target several aviation-related companies and two individuals identified as Abbas Djuma and Tigran Khristoforovich Srabionov. The two are believed to have facilitated the Russian mercenary Wagner Group's "acquisition of UAVs from Iran.
Western Sanctions on Production Firms
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen released a statement noting that the United States was determined to sanction individuals and entities that support Russia's unjustified war on Ukraine. She added that the new sanctions expose and hold accountable companies and individuals who have enabled Russia's use of Iranian-built UAVs to attack Ukrainian civilians.
Yellen said that the sanctions are part of the department's larger effort to disrupt Russia's invasion efforts and deny Moscow the equipment that it needs through export controls and other limitations, as per CNN.
The United States government also sanctioned last month an air transportation provider over its alleged involvement in the shipment of Iranian-made drones to Russia. The UAVs have played a crucial role in the conflict between the European nations as they are capable of circling for some time in an area identified as a potential target, only striking when an enemy asset has been identified.
In recent weeks, Russia has continued to launch a series of drone strikes across Ukraine, targeting vital civilian infrastructure, and sowing terror in Ukrainian cities far from the frontlines of the war.
According to CNBC, the situation comes as the State Department also issued concurrent sanctions against the paramilitary organization Wagner Group, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force, and Qods Aviation Industries.
Russia-Ukraine War Update
Previously, Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations Amir Saeid Iravani denied allegations that they were involved in supplying Russia with Iranian-made drones. The official said that the claims from Western nations were "unfounded and unsubstantiated."
Earlier this month, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said that Tehran had sold a "small number" of drones to Moscow several months before the beginning of the war. The United States government said in October that it had evidence showing Iran sent trainers and technical support to Russian-occupied areas in Ukraine to assist Moscow's troops in launching targeted drone strikes.
State Department spokesman Ned Price added that Russian officials received training on the drones from Iranian officials. At the time, the American official said that Moscow received dozens of UAVs from Iran and would likely receive more.
Several countries, including the US, Britain, and France said that Iran violated UN Security Council resolution 2231 when it provided the UAVs to Russia. The UN resolution prohibits the nation from transferring "all items, materials, equipment and goods, and technology" from Iran to another nation without advanced approval from the UN Security Council on a case-by-case basis.
Prior to the Treasury Department's sanctions, the US government sanctioned French real estate companies, a group of Swiss nationals, and a Taiwanese microelectronic component purchaser. The entities are believed to be supporting Russia's military amid the war on Ukraine, Defense News reported.
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