The US imposed sanctions Wednesday on a procurement network supporting Iran’s military programs, particularly for UAV production.
“The network sanctioned today has procured goods and technology for the Iranian government and its defense industry and UAV program,” said US Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson in a press statement today.
“Treasury will continue to enforce its sanctions against Iran’s military procurement efforts that contribute to regional insecurity and global instability.” The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said that it designated one individual and six entities in a sanctions evasion network that has facilitated Iran’s procurement of electronic components for its destabilizing military programs, including those used in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
Particularly, this action targets the head of US-designated Iran’s Pardazan System Namad Arman (PASNA), and the entity’s Iran-, Malaysia-, Hong Kong-, and PRC-based front companies and suppliers that have enabled PASNA’s procurement of goods and technology.
This action also updates the OFAC Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN List) entry for PASNA to include an alias and the names of two fictitious companies used by PASNA in its procurement efforts.
The US Treasury argued that Iran’s proliferation of UAVs and other weapons continues to destabilize the Middle East region and beyond.
Since September 2022, OFAC has issued several rounds of designations targeting Iran’s UAV and missile programs, to include elements involved in production, procurement, and proliferation.
On January 12, 2018, OFAC designated PASNA pursuant to E.O. 13382, which targets weapons of mass destruction proliferators and their supporters for having provided, or attempted to provide, financial, material, technological, or other support for, or goods or services in support of, Iran Electronics Industries (IEI), which is subordinate to Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL).
Iranian national Mehdi Khoshghadam is the managing director of PASNA and is responsible for the company’s sanctions evasion efforts. Using numerous front companies, Khoshghadam has sought a variety of electronic components from foreign suppliers primarily based in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Khoshghadam is designated pursuant to E.O. 13382 for acting or purporting to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, PASNA, a person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to E.O. 13382.
PASNA uses a mix of front companies and aliases when conducting business with foreign suppliers. The front companies include Amv AJ Nilgoun Bushehr CO. (AMV AJ) and PASNA International SDN. BHD. (PASNA International).
As a result of today’s action, all property and interests in property of the individual and entities mentioned above that are in the United States or in the possession or control of US persons must be blocked and reported to OFAC. In addition, any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked.
Source: Kuwait News Agency