Firefighters work at a site of an infrastructure object damaged by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine October 10, 2022.
State Emergency Service Of Ukraine | via Reuters
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Friday announced a slew of fresh sanctions and additional measures targeting Iran’s aviation and defense sector, as Washington ups the ante in its campaign against Tehran for supplying Moscow with weapons for its war on Ukraine.
The Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Iran’s Qods Aviation Industries, the country’s top defense manufacturer, for producing unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs.
According to Treasury, Tehran has transferred UAVs to Moscow for use on the battlefield across Ukraine.
Treasury also designated the director of Iran’s Aerospace Industrial Organization for overseeing Iran’s ballistic missile program.
In recent months, Moscow has carried out devastating missile and drone strikes against what Ukraine said were civilian targets as well as critical infrastructure such as energy facilities. The Kremlin has repeatedly denied that it uses Iranian-made drones in Ukraine and that it targets residential and other high civilian areas.
“The Kremlin’s reliance on suppliers of last resort like Iran shows their desperation in the face of brave Ukrainian resistance and the success of our global coalition in disrupting Russian military supply chains and denying them the inputs they need to replace weapons lost on the battlefield,” wrote Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen in a release.
“The United States will act swiftly against individuals and entities supporting Iran’s UAV and ballistic missile programs and will stand resolutely in support of the people of Ukraine,” she added.
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