The European Union announced on Monday, December 11, that it has sanctioned six Iranian individuals and five companies as part of its efforts to counter the Iranian regime’s military support to Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine.
According to the statement by the European Union Council, these punitive measures target individuals and entities involved in the development and production of drones used in Russian attacks against Ukraine.
The European Union Council added that these six individuals and five Iranian companies are the first to be sanctioned under a “new legal framework” to counter Iran’s military support to Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine. These sanctions complement the previous four rounds of EU sanctions against individuals and entities involved in the production of drones for export to Russia.
Per the decision of the Council of the European Union, Shakad Sanat Asmari company, its CEO and deputy, as well as a senior scientist of the company; Baharestan Kish Company and its CEO; and Saad Sazeh Faraz Sharif company and its CEO have been sanctioned for producing drones that are being sent to Russia.
Additionally, Sarmad Electronic Sepahan company has been sanctioned for providing aerospace engineering services to entities associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force, and Kimia Part Sivan Company has been sanctioned for providing services to the IRGC to improve the quality of drones.
Under these sanctions, the assets of the mentioned individuals and companies are frozen within the European Union, and they are prohibited from traveling to the EU. Furthermore, any direct or indirect transfer of funds or financial support to these sanctioned individuals and their affiliated companies listed in the sanctions will be prohibited.
The legal basis for this decision, made on Monday, stems from a resolution by the Council of the European Union about a year ago, which condemned and deemed unacceptable Iran’s military assistance to Russia, including the sending of drones to the Russian army during the unlawful war against Ukraine.
In another part of the statement by the Council of European Union, it is mentioned that Iranian weaponry, provided by the Russian army, has been used to attack non-military targets and infrastructure in Ukraine, resulting in severe destruction and civilian casualties.
The statement highlights that the drones sent to Russia are manufactured by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics of the Iranian regime, both of which have been sanctioned by the European Union for violating the prohibition on the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, including the development, production, and sale of drones to Russia.
On July 20, the European Union adopted a new package of punitive measures related to Iran’s continued military support for Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine. This measure prohibits the export of components and technologies that may be used in Iran’s drone industry.
This decision also empowers the Council of the European Union to impose penalties such as travel bans to Europe or asset freezes on individuals involved in the production of military drones in Iran.
Additionally, on June 23, as part of its eleventh package of sanctions against Russia regarding its military invasion of Ukraine, the European Union had already imposed sanctions on seven entities affiliated with the Iranian regime, including four Iranian drone manufacturers.
In recent weeks, Ukraine has pointed to the resumption of Russian attacks using Iranian Shahed suicide drones against its cities and facilities.
The United States and the United Kingdom have also recently considered imposing sanctions on individuals and companies involved in sending drones to Russia.
