The United States announced new sanctions on Wednesday against 32 people including companies in India, China and several other countries for helping Iran with its missile and drone programs. The move is part of the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran.
US sanctions firms supporting Iran’s missile and drone programs
According to a statement from the US Department of State, the sanctions target individuals and firms in Iran, India, China, Hong Kong, the UAE, Turkey, Germany, and Ukraine. The US Treasury said these groups helped Iran get important materials, including chemicals needed to make missiles and drones.
John Hurley, the Treasury’s undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said, “Across the globe, Iran exploits financial systems to launder funds, procure components for its nuclear and conventional weapons programs, and support its terrorist proxies.”
These sanctions come after the United Nations Security Council decided to reimpose nuclear-related sanctions on Iran in late September. These restrictions had been removed in 2015 as part of the nuclear deal.
Hurley added, “The US expects other countries to fully implement these UN sanctions to stop Iran from accessing the global financial system.”
Why has US sanctioned firms in India
The US State Department confirmed that some of the sanctions target Indian nationals and India-based firms. These firms were accused of being part of networks that help Iran with ballistic missiles and drones. Without revealing the names of those firms or individuals, these measures support the September 27 UN sanctions against Iran for failing to meet its nuclear commitments. The goal is to stop Iran’s development of missiles and other weapons, and to block the IRGC from accessing funds and resources that support destabilising activities.
This is not the first time Indian entities have been sanctioned. Last month, 8 Indian nationals and several firms were sanctioned for allegedly helping Iran trade energy. In July, six Indian firms were sanctioned for allegedly trading Iranian petroleum and petrochemical products.
The MVM partnership network
The US targeted a network called the MVM partnership, which helps Iran get missile propellant ingredients from China. This network is allegedly run by Marco Klinge from the UAE, along with Majid Dolatkhah and Vahid Qayum, who operate out of Iran and Turkey, Bloomberg reported.
Apart from this, Ma Jie, based in China, was sanctioned for helping Iranian defence officials meet with Chinese suppliers. All three men and their companies are now blacklisted by the US.
The UN action came after airstrikes by Israel and the US in June targeting Iran’s nuclear sites. Meanwhile, the UN’s nuclear watchdog said it hasn’t been able to check Iran’s fuel stockpile since mid-June, after a 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran.
“Today’s action supports the September 27 reimposition of United Nations sanctions and restrictive measures on Iran in response to Iran’s “significant non-performance” of its nuclear commitments. These UN sanctions directly address the threats posed by Iran’s nuclear, ballistic missile, conventional arms, and destabilising activities,” the US government statement said, in a statement.
“This action is also in furtherance of President Trump’s National Security Presidential Memorandum-2 to counter Iran’s aggressive development of missiles and other asymmetric and conventional weapons capabilities and deny the IRGC access to assets and resources that sustain their destabilising activities,” the statement added.
