US imposes missile, drone sanctions in latest bid to pressure Iran

• Targets span Iran, UAE, Turkey, China, HK, India, Germany, Ukraine. 
• Treasury says entities operate multiple procurement networks.
• US, Europe, Israel accuse Iran of building nuclear weapons.

The US on Wednesday sanctioned individuals and entities in several countries related to their support of Iran’s ballistic missile and drone production, in the latest attempt to pressure Tehran.

A total of 32 individuals and entities based in Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, China, Hong Kong, India, Germany and Ukraine that operate multiple procurement networks are being targeted in Wednesday’s designations, the Treasury Department said in a statement.

“These networks pose a threat to US and allied personnel in the Middle East and to commercial shipping in the Red Sea,” the department said in a statement.

The US, its European allies, and Israel accuse Tehran of using its nuclear programme as a veil for efforts to try to develop the capability to produce weapons. Iran says its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only.

On Sunday, a top Treasury Department official said that the US wanted to take advantage of a “moment” in Lebanon in which it could cut Iranian funding to Hezbollah and press the group to disarm.

In an interview, John Hurley, the undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, alleged Iran has managed to funnel about $1 billion to Hezbollah this year despite a raft of Western sanctions that have battered its economy.

The US has adopted a “maximum pressure” campaign on Tehran meant to curb its uranium enrichment and regional influence, including in Lebanon, where Iran-backed Hezbollah is also weakened after Israel shattered its military power in a 2023-24 war.

Earlier this month, Washington sanctioned two individuals accused of using money exchanges to help fund Hezbollah, which is deemed a terrorist group by several Western governments and Gulf states.

Tehran has leaned on closer ties with China, Russia and regional states, including the UAE, since September, when talks to curb its disputed nuclear activity and missile programme broke down, prompting the reinstatement of United Nations sanctions.

Western powers accuse Iran of secretly developing nuclear weapons capability. Tehran, whose economy now risks hyperinflation and a severe recession, says its nuclear programme is wholly for civilian power purposes.