The Department of the Treasury has slapped sanctions on a multinational network comprised of seven individuals and four companies based in Iran, China, Russia and Turkey connected with Iranian development of unmanned aerial vehicles and military planes.
The network is behind shipments and financial transactions supporting the Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company or HESA, the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said Thursday.
The OFAC added that it is also including HESA’s alias Shahin Co. to its Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List. The office noted that the company is using the alias to evade U.S. sanctions and export controls.
Citing the global security destabilization resulting from Iran’s UAVs, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said U.S. action will continue against Iran’s UAV procurement.
Named in the new sanctions were Iran-based company Mehdi Gogerdchian and its executives Hamidreza Noori and Husayn A’ini.
U.S. sanctions were also imposed on China- based Shenzhen Jiasibo Technology and its managing director, Su Chunpeng, as well as Dong Wenbo, Guilin Alpha Rubber representative in the sale of aerospace components to HESA.
The sanctioned Russia-based entities included Delta-Aero Technical Service Center, Joint Stock Company Scientific Production Enterprise Aerosila and Joint Stock Company Star.
Money exchangers Mehmet Tokdemir and Alaaddin Aykut, which facilitated U.S. dollar- and euro-denominated financial transactions with HESA, are the Turkey-based individuals on the OFAC list.
The new sanctions follow the OFAC’s March designation of five China-based companies and an individual selling and shipping aerospace components to HESA.
