US Imposes Fresh Sanctions On Iran's Drone And Missile Programme After UN Measures Lapse

The announcement of the fresh sanctions came on a day when the rest of the UN restrictions on Tehran's missile programme from Iran nuclear deal signed in 2015 lapsed.

The US imposed sanctions on Iran's missile programme.

New Delhi: The US government on Wednesday imposed fresh sanctions on Iran’s ballistic missiles and drone programme after the restrictions set by the United Nations expired, news agency Reuters reported. The sanctions were imposed on “11 individuals, eight entities, and one vessel based in Iran, Hong Kong, the People’s Republic of China (PRC), and Venezuela that are enabling Iran’s destabilizing ballistic missile and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) programs,” US Treasury Department said in a press release.

The development comes amid the US criticising Tehran for backing militant group Hamas, that unleashed a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, killing at least 1,300 people.

The announcement of the fresh sanctions came on a day when the rest of the UN restrictions on Iran’s missile programme from Iran nuclear deal signed in 2015 lapsed. The expiration of the UN sanctions comes under the “sunset” clause of the nuclear deal.

In a separate move, the United States imposed sanctions on two Iranian officials for “engaging in activities that have materially contributed to Iran’s missile program.” Restrictions were also imposed on “two Iran-based entities and four Russia-based entities.”

The US also issued an advisory to businesses set to check dual-use technologies getting to Iranian actors.

“These sanctions will exert pressure on Iran's missile and UAV program in addition to constraining Iran's conventional arms transfers and ongoing military relationships with countries like Venezuela and Russia, including Iran’s provision of UAVs that Moscow is using against civilian targets in Ukraine,” a senior State Department official said, as reported by Reuters.

It is to be noted that Tehran has increasingly violated the terms of the nuclear agreement over the last eight years, especially since US withdrew from the deal under the presidency of Donald Trump in 2018.

“Despite U.N. sanctions expiring, "the kind of statements that are coming out of most capitals around the world make clear that Iran and Russia will remain pariahs when it comes to this situation,” a US official told the news agency.