US Imposes Sanctions Against Iran’s Drone Program; Iran Slams
The Department of the Treasury said in a statement that it designated two companies and three individuals that provided "critical support" to the UAV program of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Washington: The US imposed sanctions against companies and individuals related to Iran’s unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) programs.
The Department of the Treasury said in a statement that it designated two companies and three individuals that provided “critical support” to the UAV program of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), reports Xinhua news agency.
Brigadier General Saeed Aghajani, head of IRGC’s UAV Command, was also blacklisted for his leading role in directing UAV operations.
“Iran’s proliferation of UAVs across the region threatens international peace and stability. Iran and its proxy militants have used UAVs to attack U.S. forces, our partners, and international shipping,” said Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo.
“Treasury will continue to hold Iran accountable for its irresponsible and violent acts.”
The designation came after a drone attack targeted a US base in the al-Tanf area in southern Syria last week, with no injuries or deaths reported.
US officials believed that Iran “resourced and encouraged the attack”, while noting the drones were not launched from Iran, according to a report by the Associated Press.
The move also came two days after Tehran said it would resume negotiations over the Iran nuclear deal before the end of November.
The US and Iranian officials began indirect talks in Vienna this April to restore the 2015 nuclear agreement, but their disagreements remained significant after six rounds of negotiations, which have been interrupted due to the government transition in Tehran.
To pressure Tehran, President Joe Biden administration has recently reiterated the window for negotiations on a return to the deal will not be open forever and warned of turning to other options if diplomacy fails.
The US withdrew from the nuclear deal in May 2018 when Donald Trump was in office, and imposed sanctions on Iran.
In response, Iran has gradually stopped implementing parts of its commitments to the deal since May 2019.
Iran slammed on Friday evening the latest U.S. sanctions against its entities as “completely contradictory behaviour”.
“A government that talks about an intention of returning to the nuclear deal but continues (former U.S. President Donald) Trump’s policy of sanctions is sending the message that it really is not reliable,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Saeed Khatibzadeh said in remarks published on the Ministry’s official website.
Successive U.S. administrations, he added, have shown their “incapacity” to understand Iran’s realities, Xinhua news agency reported.
U.S. pressure will not inflict “the slightest damage” on the Iranian government’s determination to defend the security and tranquillity of Iran’s people, the Spokesman said.
Earlier on Friday, the United States imposed sanctions against companies and individuals related to Iran’s unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) programs.
“Iran’s proliferation of UAVs across the region threatens international peace and stability. Iran and its proxy militants have used UAVs to attack U.S. forces, our partners, and international shipping,” said U.S. Deputy Secretary of the Treasury, Wally Adeyemo.
The new ban against Iran came after Iran’s nuclear negotiator, Ali Bagheri Kani said on Wednesday that Tehran has agreed to resume the long-halted negotiations aimed at the revival of the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), by the end of November.
The Trump administration pulled Washington out of the JCPOA in 2018 and reimposed old and new sanctions on Iran despite the fact that Tehran had been complying with the international accord.
In response, Iran has gradually dropped some of its commitments under the pact by increasing the stockpile and purity of its uranium enrichment and installing advanced centrifuges.
Six rounds of talks, with regard to a strict monitoring of Iran’s nuclear program and the lifting of sanctions on Iran, were held in Austria’s capital Vienna between April and July this year, but were interrupted by Iran’s government transition.
