Treasury Sanctions Global Network Supporting Iran’s Military UAV Program

Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is designating five entities and one individual based in Iran, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China for their procurement of technology in support of OFAC-designated Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company (HESA). HESA is a state-owned subsidiary of Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL) that manufactures Iran’s military aircraft and Ababil‑series unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which have been employed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Today’s action is being taken in furtherance of National Security Presidential Memorandum 2, which directs that Iran be denied asymmetric and conventional weapons capabilities, and that the IRGC and its surrogates be disrupted and degraded.

“Iran continues to pursue the development of asymmetric weapons capabilities, including unmanned aerial vehicles, to carry out attacks on the United States, our servicemembers and our partners and allies in the region,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John K. Hurley. “We will continue to put America first by disrupting Tehran’s ability to further its destabilizing agenda that undermines the stability of the region and threatens the safety of the American people.”

Read more: U.S. Department of the Treasury