U.S. sanctions board of directors of Iranian drone maker

By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on the board of directors of Iranian drone maker Paravar Pars, the U.S. Treasury Department said, adding Iranian drones were being used by Russia to attack Ukraine’s critical infrastructure.

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated eight senior executives of Paravar Pars, the department said in a statement.

The drone maker was previously sanctioned by the United States and the European Union for making drones for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force.

“Iranian entities continue to produce UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) for Iran’s IRGC and military. More broadly, Iran is supplying UAVs for Russia’s combat operations to target critical infrastructure in Ukraine,” said Brian Nelson, the U.S. Treasury’s top sanctions official.

As a result of Friday’s action, all property and interests in property of those individuals that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons must be blocked and reported to OFAC, the Treasury Department said. People that engage in transactions with the individuals designated on Friday may themselves be exposed to sanctions, the department added.

The United States on Tuesday had put new trade restrictions on seven Iranian entities for producing drones that Russia has used to attack Ukraine. The firms and other organizations were added to a U.S. export control list for those engaged in activities contrary to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests.

Since Russia launched its war against Ukraine in February 2022, the United States and over 30 other countries have sought to degrade its military and defense industrial base by restricting its access to defense needs.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations in New York said on Tuesday: “Sanctions have no effect on Iran’s drone production capacity because its drones are all produced domestically. This is a strong indication that the drones shot down in Ukraine and using parts made by Western countries don’t belong to Iran.”

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; editing by Ismail Shakil, Doina Chiacu and Jonathan Oatis)