US imposes sanctions on network supplying Iran’s drone program

Treasury identified five entities and two people across four countries.

By JNS

A group associated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) operating in Iran, China, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates was sanctioned on Wednesday by the U.S. Treasury Department.

Together, five entities and two individuals have supplied parts for Iran’s one-way attack unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) program. Some of these drones have been utilized against Ukraine, as Tehran has chosen to support Russian President Vladimir Putin in the war launched in February 2022.

The entities named by Treasury as sanctioned include Iran’s Pishgam Electronic Safeh Company; the Hong Kong-based Hongkong Himark Electron Model Limited; the UAE-based Farhad Ghaedi Goods Wholesalers LLC; and the two Turkey-based companies Dal Enerji Madencilik Turizm Sanayi Ve Ticaret Anonim Sirketi and Anka Port Ic Ve Dis Ticaret INSAAT Lojistik Sanayi Limited Şirketi.

The two people sanctioned are Yang Fan, also known as “Cathy,” a 38-year-old woman from Zhuhai, China; and Hamid Reza Janghorbani, 50, of Isfahan, Iran.

“Iranian-made UAVs continue to be a key tool for Russia in its attacks in Ukraine, including those that terrorize Ukrainian citizens and attack its critical infrastructure,” said Brian E. Nelson, the under secretary of the Treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence. “The United States, in coordination with our allies and partners, will persist in holding accountable those who contribute to Iran’s proliferation of its UAVs to Russia, its proxies in the Middle East and other destabilizing actors.”