The United States government moved to tighten the noose on Iran’s military capabilities Tuesday, announcing a fresh wave of sanctions targeting the networks responsible for building the country’s drones and missiles.
The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) blacklisted eight individuals and four companies spread across Iran, Türkiye, and the United Arab Emirates.
This latest crackdown is part of a broader strategy called Operation Epic Fury. The move aims to dismantle the procurement webs that supply the Iranian regime with the parts needed for its Shahed-series suicide drones and ballistic missile programs. Officials also targeted Mahan Air, a long-sanctioned airline accused of shuttling weapons and operatives for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
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“The Iranian regime must be held accountable for its extortion of global energy markets and indiscriminate targeting of civilians with missiles and drones,” Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said in a statement. He added that the U.S. intends to “follow the money” to stop those enabling Iran’s military growth.
A major focus of the announcement was the Pishgam Electronic Safeh Company (PESC). According to the Treasury, this firm has funneled thousands of servomotors—critical components for drone flight—to the IRGC. Investigators say these parts have been recovered from the wreckage of Shahed-136 drones used in attacks. Among those sanctioned were Kamal Sabah Balkhkanlu, a currency exchanger in Tehran accused of moving money through third-country banks, and agents in Dubai who helped coordinate shipments.
The sanctions also hit the supply chain for ballistic missile fuel. A Turkish company, Emti Fiber Textile, was designated for shipping massive amounts of cotton linters to Iran. When processed, these fibers become nitrocellulose, a key ingredient in the solid propellant used to power long-range missiles.
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In the aviation sector, the U.S. identified two Boeing 777 aircraft—tail numbers EP-MTE and EP-MTB—as blocked property of Mahan Air. Treasury officials claim Mahan Air is not just a commercial carrier but a logistics arm for the IRGC, involved in moving UAV systems as far as Venezuela.
The legal weight of these designations is heavy. Any assets these individuals or companies hold in the U.S. are now frozen, and American citizens are strictly prohibited from doing business with them. Foreign banks that continue to process transactions for these groups also risk being cut off from the American financial system.
Thomas “Tommy” Pigott, a spokesperson for the administration, noted that these actions are a direct response to Iran’s “significant non-performance” regarding its previous nuclear commitments. He emphasized that the U.S. will continue to use all available tools to disrupt activities that threaten regional and global security.
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