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US Issues Further Sanctions on Iran, Targets Drones
Drones are seen at a site at an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image obtained on April 20, 2023. Photo: Iranian Army/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS
The United States on Thursday issued further sanctions on Iran, targeting Iranian drones, including their use by Russia in the war in Ukraine, as Washington seeks to ratchet up pressure on Tehran.
The US Treasury Department in a statement said the action, taken in coordination with the United Kingdom and Canada, targets over one dozen entities, individuals, and vessels it accused of playing a key role in facilitating and financing the clandestine sale of Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles to Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL).
MODAFL in turn supports Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a US-designated terrorist organization, and Russia’s war in Ukraine, the Treasury said.
“Iran’s Ministry of Defense continues to destabilize the region and world with its support to Russia’s war in Ukraine, unprecedented attack on Israel, and proliferation of UAVs and other dangerous military hardware to terrorist proxies,” Treasury’s Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Brian Nelson, said.
Washington also targeted two companies and a vessel involved in the shipment of Iranian commodities, the Treasury said.
“The United States, in close coordination with our British and Canadian partners, will continue to use all means available to combat those who would finance Iran’s destabilizing activities,” Nelson said.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Treasury said it targeted Sahara Thunder, accusing it of being a main front company that oversees MODAFL’s commercial activities in support of the IRGC and Russia’s war in Ukraine.
It said the company plays a key role in Iran’s design, development, manufacture, and sale of thousands of drones, many of them ultimately transferred to Russia for use against Ukraine.
As of 2022, Russian officials were negotiating a deal for Sahara Thunder to deliver and produce thousands of drones per year at a facility in Russia under US sanctions, the Treasury said.
Sahara Thunder’s leadership and shipping network, which the Treasury said the company relied on for the sale and shipment of Iranian commodities on behalf of MODAFL to jurisdictions including China, Russia, and Venezuela, were also targeted.
An Iran-based company involved in the procurement and development of unmanned aerial vehicles, its leadership, and an Iranian cargo airline were also among those hit with sanctions.
The US earlier this month had warned it would impose further sanctions on Iran following its unprecedented attack on Israel.
Washington has since taken measures, including targeting Iran’s drone program, steel industry, and cyber actors.
Iran this month launched more than 300 drones and missiles against Israel, its first direct attack on the country, in retaliation for a suspected Israeli air strike on its embassy compound in Damascus on April 11 that killed IRGC officers.
The post US Issues Further Sanctions on Iran, Targets Drones first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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PA Security Forces End Standoff with Jenin Battalion, Enter West Bank Camp
Illustrative. Palestinian demonstrators call for an end to clashes between Palestinian security forces and terrorists in Jenin, in the West Bank, Dec. 16, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Raneen Sawafta
i24 News – The Palestinian Authority on Friday reached an agreement with the jihadists of the Jenin Battalion, ending a six-week standoff in the northern West Bank terror hotbed.
The Jenin Battalion is a local jihadist militia affiliated with Hamas and the Islamic Jihad.
The PA’s engineering and civil defense crews will begin dismantling explosives planted across Jenin, Palestinian media reported.
A Palestinian security source told i24NEWS that not a single weapon has been handed over by the Jenin Battalion to PA security forces.
The post PA Security Forces End Standoff with Jenin Battalion, Enter West Bank Camp first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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With Hamas Yet to Name 3 First Hostages to Be Released, Netanyahu Slams Violation of Agreement
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a news conference in Jerusalem, Sept. 2, 2024. Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg/Pool via REUTERS
i24 News – Hamas violated the terms of its agreement with Israel even before the ceasefire went into effect, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pointed out on Saturday.
The jihadist group failed to submit to Israel the names of the three hostages slated to be freed on Sunday, in contravention to the terms of the ceasefire stipulating that this information be communicated 24 hours in advance.
“We will not move forward with the outline until we receive the list of hostages to be released, as agreed. Israel will not tolerate violations of the agreement,” Netanyahu said some three hours after the names should have been submitted. “The sole responsibility lies with Hamas.”
The post With Hamas Yet to Name 3 First Hostages to Be Released, Netanyahu Slams Violation of Agreement first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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US Slaps Sanctions on Yemeni Bank with Ties to Houthis
Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi addresses followers via a video link at the al-Shaab Mosque, formerly al-Saleh Mosque, in Sanaa, Yemen, Feb. 6, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
i24 News – The US on Friday imposed sanctions on a Yemen-based financial institution that Washington accused of financially supporting the Houthis, as President Joe Biden’s administration sought to further pressure the Iran-backed jihadists before Biden leaves office.
The US Treasury Department said it imposed sanctions on Yemen Kuwait Bank, accusing it of helping the Houthis exploit the Yemeni banking sector to launder money and transfer funds to allies, including fellow Iranian proxy Hezbollah.
In addition to numerous attacks on Israel’s civilian centers since November 2023, the Houthis have carried out more than 100 attacks on ships, sinking two vessels, seizing another and killing at least four seafarers. The intensity of the attacks has disrupted global shipping and prompted route changes.
The attacks have disrupted international commerce, forcing some ships to take the long route around southern Africa rather than the Suez Canal, leading to increases in insurance rates, delivery costs and time that stoked global inflation fears.
The Houthis, a fundamentally antisemitic jihadist group, seized power in Yemen in late 2014 and control most parts of the country including the capital Sanaa.
The post US Slaps Sanctions on Yemeni Bank with Ties to Houthis first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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