Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated four entities and three individuals in Iran and Turkey for their involvement in the procurement of equipment, including European-origin engines of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in support of Iran’s UAV and weapons programs.
This procurement network operates on behalf of Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL), which oversees several firms involved in UAV and ballistic missile development.
Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson. “The United States will continue to expose foreign procurement networks in any jurisdiction that supports Iran’s military industrial complex.”
Today’s action, which follows OFAC’s March 9, 2023 designation of a China-based network in connection with Iran’s UAV procurement efforts, as well as several previous OFAC actions targeting Iran’s UAV manufacturers and their executives since September 2022, is being taken pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13382.
MODAFL was designated pursuant to E.O. 13382 on October 25, 2007, for having engaged, or attempted to engage, in activities or transactions that have materially contributed to, or pose a risk of materially contributing to, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction or their means of delivery. E.O. 13382 targets weapons of mass destruction proliferators and their supporters
A federal court in the District of Columbia unsealed two indictments Tuesday charging multiple defendants with violations of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) for their roles in separate schemes to procure and export U.S. technology to Iran between 2005 and 2013.
One indictment concerned the export from the United States and transshipped through Turkey a device that can test the efficacy and power of fuel cells and attempted to obtain a bio-detection system that has application in weapons of mass destruction (WMD) research and use.
The second case charged conspiracy to obtain U.S. technology, including a high-speed camera that has known nuclear and ballistic missile testing applications, a nose landing gear assembly for an F-5 fighter jet, and a meteorological sensor system.
Justice [Release]
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here