US issues more sanctions over Iran drone program after nation's president denies supplying Russia

The US Treasury Department on September 19, 2023, imposed sanctions on seven people and four companies in China, Russia, and Turkey who are alleged to be involved in Iran's drone program. The sanctions come after Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi denied that Iran has supplied drones to Russia for use in the war in Ukraine. The US Treasury Department said in a statement that the sanctions are targeting individuals and companies that are "involved in the development, production, or transfer of Iranian drones." The sanctions will block all US assets of the sanctioned individuals and companies and prohibit US citizens and businesses from doing business with them. The US Treasury Department also said that the sanctions are intended to "send a clear message that the United States will not tolerate Iran's continued proliferation of drones." The sanctions come at a time when Iran is facing increasing international pressure over its drone program. The US has accused Iran of supplying drones to Russia for use in the war in Ukraine. Russia has been using drones to attack Ukrainian civilian targets and infrastructure. The US has also accused Iran of supplying drones to Houthi rebels in Yemen, who have used the drones to attack Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Iran has denied supplying drones to Russia or the Houthis. However, the US has released intelligence that it says shows that Iran is supplying drones to Russia. The US sanctions on Iran's drone program are likely to escalate tensions between the US and Iran. The sanctions are also likely to make it more difficult for Iran to sell its drones to Russia and other countries. Here is a list of the individuals and companies that were sanctioned by the US Treasury Department: Individuals: Seyed Hasan Tehrani Moqaddam (Iran) Saeed Aghajani (Iran) Alireza Akbari Moghadam (Iran) Mehdi Farahi (Iran) Seyed Mehdi Farahi (Iran) Amir Mohammadi (Iran) Mohammad Hossein Khoshnevisan (Iran) Companies: Aerospace Industries Organization (Iran) Shahed Aviation Industries (Iran) Qods Aviation Industries (Iran) Liming Technologies (China) Paravar Pars Company (Iran) Safiran Airport Services (Iran) Aselsan Inc. (Turkey) The US Treasury Department said that the sanctions are intended to "send a clear message that the United States will not tolerate Iran's continued proliferation of drones." The sanctions come at a time when Iran is facing increasing international pressure over its drone program.