Islamabad, 7 January 2023 (GNP): The United States claims that Iran’s arms industry is participating in Russia’s war in Ukraine. Iran’s production of ballistic missiles and drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which the US claims were used to help Russia’s war in Ukraine, has been targeted by sanctions declared by the US.
Seven individuals in leadership positions at Iran’s Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO), which oversees the nation’s ballistic missile programme, and Qods Aviation Industries, a manufacturer of unmanned aerial vehicles, will be the target of the sanctions, according to a news release from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday.
Iran has now surpassed China as Russia’s main military ally, according to Blinken. “We will continue to use every tool at our disposal to block and delay these transfers and impose penalties on actors participating in this activity. Iran must stop its backing for Russia’s unjustifiable campaign of aggression in Ukraine.”
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As Iran strengthens its military relations with Russia, already poor relations between the US and Iran have grown even more strained. According to reports from the US, Iranian drones are being utilised to create havoc in Ukraine, with people suffering the most.
US sanctions had already been placed on Iranian organisations that “produce and distribute Iranian Shahed – and Mohajer – series UAVs,” two different drone models.
UAVs have been used by both Kyiv and Moscow in the war effort, sometimes for surveillance and other times for fatal attacks. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, charged earlier this week that Russia intended to “exhaust” Ukraine with a protracted assault using drones built in Iran.
Iran had previously denied giving Russia drones for use in the conflict in Ukraine, but the state acknowledged in November that it had delivered Moscow a “small number” of the aerial bombs. Iran claimed that the explosives were transferred to Russia prior to the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
John Kirby, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, claimed in December that Iran and Russia were moving toward a “full-fledged defence relationship,” which would involve the sale of Russian air defence systems as well as upcoming fighter jet deployments. Kirby added that Iran was thinking about establishing a drone manufacturing base inside of Russia.
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Iran has been charged by the US with breaking international law by not getting the UN Security Council’s consent before selling drones. Blinken stated in the press release on Friday that “the Iranian regime’s military backing to Russia not only fuels the crisis in Ukraine but has also led to violations of UN Security Council resolution 2231.”
Regarding its drones and the problem of weapons sales in general, the Iranian government has maintained a combative stance while praising the superiority of its military goods. It has also claimed that worries that Iran would start to compete with other countries for international military sales are what underlies the criticism from abroad.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi claimed in October that nations that “do not want us to flourish… to capture markets” were enraged by his nation’s arms sales. “Let the enemy get angry and die of anger,” he added.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the US presently controls the majority of the world’s arms trade, with 40 US-based businesses expected to sell $300 billion worth of weapons in 2021. The US has occasionally come under fire for its weapons programmes, which critics claim are intended to protect US allies despite their alleged violations of human rights.
