The U.S. Hits Iran With New Sanctions

10/29/2021 By Kendall Claar

The United States hit Iran with a new set of sanctions Friday, just a day before President Joe Biden plans to meet with European leaders to discuss the possible resumption of talks with the country regarding its nuclear arms program.

These sanctions, which were announced by the Treasury Department, target two senior members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (a branch of the Iranian Armed Forces) and two affiliated companies. Both of the individuals and companies are accused of supplying lethal drones and other supplies to insurgent groups located in Iran, Lebanon, Yemen, and Ethiopia.

The two targeted commanders, Brigadier General Saeed Aghajani and Brigadier General Abdollah Mehrabi, oversee drone operations for the Guard, which includes support for attacks made by unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs. “Iran and its proxy militants have used UAVs to attack U.S. forces, our partners, and international shipping,” the Treasury said in a statement. The two associated firms, the Kimia Part Sivan Co. and the Oje Parvaz Mado Nafar Co., were targeted for supplying engines and providing technical assistance to the Guard’s drone program.

These sanctions block assets located in any U.S. jurisdiction from being accessed by those indicated in the announcement, bar Americans from transactions with them, and subject foreign individuals and firms that do business with them to penalties as well.

Although former President Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal between the U.S. and Iran in 2018, the Biden administration is hoping to revive the languishing 2015 deal. Even though Iran has yet to commit to a date, the country has agreed to resume negotiations by the end of November.