The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on six entities based in Hong Kong and China that it accused of being involved in an Iranian drone procurement network.
This was as the Trump’s administration implements its maximum pressure campaign against Tehran.
According to the US Treasury Department, the entities engaged in the procurement of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, UAV, components on behalf of an Iranian firm under US sanctions, Pishtazan Kavosh Gostar Boshra, and its subsidiary Narin Sepehr Mobin Isatis, adding that the firms were key suppliers of Iran’s UAV and ballistic missile programs.
In a statement by the Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Iran continues to try to find new ways to procure the key components it needs to bolster its UAV weapons program through new front companies and third-country suppliers.
“Treasury remains committed to disrupting the schemes that enable Iran to send its deadly weapons abroad to its terrorist proxies and other destabilizing actors,” he said.
Spokesperson for China’s embassy in Washington, Liu Pengyu, said China and Iran’s cooperation was reasonable and legal.
“China has always firmly opposed the illegal unilateral sanctions imposed by the United States and will firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of its enterprises and citizens,” he said.
The action comes after the United States on Monday imposed a fresh round of sanctions targeting Iran’s oil industry, the Islamic Republic’s main source of income.
The announcements come as US President Donald Trump seeks to bring Iran’s crude exports to zero to prevent the country from obtaining a nuclear weapon, and builds on the layers of sanctions already imposed by his government and the previous Biden administration.