Blinken stressed that the US will use sanctions to prevent, deter and dismantle procurement networks that allow the supply of materials and technology related to unmanned aerial vehicles.
The new US sanctions against Iran affected, among other things, the head of the program for the development of unmanned aerial vehicles of the armed forces of the republic, Said Aghajani.
Washington accuses Tehran of fueling conflicts in the Middle East by supplying drones to hot spots.
“Iran and its allied extremists have used drones to attack American soldiers, our partners and international shipping. The Treasury Department will continue to hold Iran accountable for its irresponsible and violent acts,” said US Treasury Deputy Wally Adeyemo.
Tehran has provided drones to the Lebanese radical Hezbollah, the Palestinian radical Hamas and the Houthi rebels in Yemen, and has also supplied drones to Ethiopia, “where an escalating crisis threatens to destabilize an entire region,” the official said.
New sanctions against Iran were introduced a few days after Tehran expressed its readiness to resume talks in Vienna, which were interrupted in June, on its nuclear program. In this regard, a spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry criticized the “contradictory behavior” of the administration of US President Joe Biden. “By imposing sanctions, Washington is sending a signal that does not inspire any confidence,” he said.
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