US Sanctions Chinese, Hong Kong Entities Over Alleged Iranian Drone Links

The entities helped procure and ship the key components to Iran, the U.S. Treasury Department said.

An Iranian-made drone is shown during the Army Day celebrations in Tehran, Iran, on April 18, 2010. Behrouz Mehri/AFP/Getty Images

The United States imposed sanctions on six Chinese and Hong Kong-based entities that allegedly helped procure key components for Iran’s unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and ballistic missile programs, the U.S. Treasury Department said on Feb. 26.

In a statement, the department said the entities had procured UAV components on behalf of the U.S.-sanctioned Iranian firm Pishtazan Kavosh Gostar Boshra (PKGB) and its subsidiary, Narin Sepehr Mobin Isatis (NSMI).

Both serve as key suppliers for Iran’s UAV and ballistic missile programs, the department said.

According to the department, the entities operate as front companies and facilitate the purchase and shipment of key components for PKGB and NSMI. Between them, the companies allegedly helped acquire U.S.-origin UAV items including valve assemblies, radio frequency connectors, engines, and Western-origin aircraft components for Iran on behalf of PKGB.

The Epoch Times could not reach PKGB or NSMI for comment.

The six sanctioned companies are: Dingtai Industrial Technology Co Limited, Yonghongan Trade Limited, Hong Kong Tianle International Co Limited, DDC Develop Industry Hong Kong Limited, China-based Shenzhen Zhiyu International Trade Co Ltd (Shenzhen Zhiyu), and Hong Kong-based JP Oriental International Holdings Limited.

“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 said in a statement. “Treasury remains committed to disrupting the schemes that enable Iran to send its deadly weapons abroad to its terrorist proxies and other destabilizing actors.”

The Epoch Times contacted Iran’s mission to the United Nations in New York for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.

Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for China’s embassy in Washington, said that China and Iran’s cooperation was “reasonable and legal.”

On Feb. 24, the Treasury Department announced sanctions on Iran’s petroleum and petrochemical industry, targeting more than 30 individuals, entities, and vessels it said are involved in the illicit trade of Iranian oil.

Earlier this month, Trump issued National Security Presidential Memorandum 2 ordering a “maximum pressure” campaign to reduce Iran’s oil exports to zero. The memorandum also states that Iran “can never be allowed to acquire or develop nuclear weapons.”

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.