The United States has unveiled a sprawling international network accused of helping Iran’s defense industry procure components for ballistic missiles and drones – with Ukrainian companies among those now under US sanctions.
In a statement released on Nov. 12, the US Treasury Department said it had sanctioned 32 individuals and entities from Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, China, Hong Kong, India, Germany, and Ukraine for operating multiple procurement networks that support Iran’s weapons production.
“These networks pose a threat to US and allied personnel in the Middle East and to commercial shipping in the Red Sea,” the statement said.
According to the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), one of the networks supported the Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company (HESA) – a state-owned enterprise under Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL), which produces Ababil-series military aircraft and drones.
US officials said Iranian procurement agent Bahram Tabibi used two front companies in Ukraine – GK Imperativ Ukraina LLC and Ekofera LLC – to purchase and ship aerospace materials such as attitude indicators and magnetometers to Iran.
The network also allegedly involved Batool Shafiei, who coordinated payments from HESA to the Ukrainian firms and oversaw the delivery of equipment to Iran, as well as Saeed Pahlavani Nejad, an intermediary who facilitated the sale of generators, engines, sensors, and other aircraft components.
“The Iranian regime continues to exploit global financial systems to launder money, procure critical components for its nuclear and conventional weapons programs, and fund terrorist proxies,” said John Hurley, US Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.
“At President Trump’s direction, we are maintaining maximum pressure on Iran to end its nuclear threat.”
It came as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that he had met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha on Wednesday to discuss strengthening Ukraine’s defense and peace negotiations.
“The United States remains steadfast in working with our partners to encourage Russia to pursue diplomacy and engage directly with Ukraine for a durable and lasting peace,” Rubio wrote on X.
The US has also called on its partners to fully enforce UN ‘snapback’ sanctions to block Iran’s access to global financial markets.
The newly revealed sanctions revive questions about earlier reports of Ukrainian-made parts found in Iranian drones.
In 2022, experts examining Shahed-136 kamikaze drones identified components produced by Kharkiv State Relay Plant “Radiorele,” a state-owned enterprise under Ukraine’s State Property Fund.
However, later analyses found no evidence of Ukrainian-origin parts in subsequent Iranian UAVs, according to the defense outlet Militarnyi.