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Joe Biden and the UK government unveils sanctions on Iran’s drone program
Over 300 drones and missiles were used in the massive onslaught, most of which were shot down with minimal damage by Israel and its allies, which included Washington and London.
In reaction to Iran’s strike on Israel over the weekend, the United States and Great Britain announced broad penalties against the country’s military drone programme on Thursday.
Regarding Iran’s unmanned aerial vehicle programme, the Treasury Department said in a statement that Washington is focusing on “16 individuals and two entities enabling Iran’s UAV production, including engine types that power Iran’s Shahed variant UAVs, which were used in the April 13 attack.”
In response to an airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus on April 1 that was generally attributed to Israel and resulted in the deaths of seven members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including two generals, Tehran conducted its first-ever direct military attack on Israel late on Saturday.
Over 300 drones and missiles were used in the massive onslaught, most of which were shot down with minimal damage by Israel and its allies, which included Washington and London.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the attacks by stating that his nation is entitled to self-defense.
“Today, we are holding Iran accountable — imposing new sanctions and export controls,” US President Joe Biden said in a statement.
“As I discussed with my fellow G7 leaders the morning after the attack, we are committed to acting collectively to increase economic pressure on Iran,” he continued.
“And our allies and partners have or will issue additional sanctions and measures to restrict Iran’s destabilizing military programs.”
Britain is also imposing sanctions “targeting several Iranian military organizations, individuals and entities involved in Iran’s UAV and ballistic missile industries,” the Treasury Department statement said.
– Sanctions target steel industry –
Alongside its sanctions against Iran’s UAV program, the US also targeted five companies providing parts for Iran’s steel industry, and an automaker involved in providing “material support” to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“Iran’s metals sector generates the equivalent of several billion dollars in revenue annually, with the majority coming from steel exports,” the Treasury Department said.
“We are taking swift and decisive action to respond to Iran’s unprecedented attack on Israel,” US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said, according to the statement.
“We’re using Treasury’s economic tools to degrade and disrupt key aspects of Iran’s malign activity, including its UAV program and the revenue the regime generates to support its terrorism,” she continued.
“We will continue to deploy our sanctions authority to counter Iran with further actions in the days and weeks ahead,” she added.
