U.S. announces new sanctions targeting Iran’s drone program

IRNA- The U.S. Department of the Treasury has announced new sanctions targeting Iran’s drone program as part of a “maximum pressure campaign” restored by President Donald Trump early this month.

The sanctions target six entities based in China and Hong Kong, which the Treasury has accused of operating as front companies to “facilitate the purchase and shipment” of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) key components on behalf of two Iranian firms serving “as key suppliers for Iran’s UAV and ballistic missile programs,” the Treasury said on Wednesday.

“Iran continues to try to find new ways to procure the key components it needs to bolster its UAV weapons program through new front companies and third-country suppliers,” Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent was quoted as saying in a press release.

The Treasury also said the new move against Iran supports President Trump’s “maximum pressure campaign on Iran.”

Trump launched that campaign during his first term in office after he withdrew the United States from a landmark deal on Iran’s nuclear program in 2018. He resumed the campaign early this month, just two weeks after returning to the White House.

Despite reinstating the policy, the U.S. president has spoken of his readiness to negotiate a deal with Iran.

The Islamic Republic, however, has ruled out the possibility of direct talks with the U.S. as long as the “maximum pressure campaign” is in place.

“Iran’s stance on the nuclear negotiations is crystal clear: We will not negotiate under pressure, threat, or sanctions,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Tuesday during a joint press conference with his Russia counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, in Tehran.