By Iclal Turan
WASHINGTON (AA) - The US announced new sanctions Thursday on 16 individuals and two entities that enable Iran’s drone program after Iran's retaliatory attack on Israel last weekend.
The Treasure Department said the sanctions also target executives of an engine manufacturer that supplies Iran’s Shahad-131 and Shahed-136 drones, which were used in the attack on Saturday.
It designated five companies in multiple jurisdictions providing component materials for steel production to Iran’s Khuzestan Steel Company (KSC), or purchasing KSC’s finished steel products, according to a statement by the agency.
Three subsidiaries of Iranian automaker Bahman Group, which the US accuses of materially supporting Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other entities were also targeted.
Additionally, the Commerce Department imposed new controls to restrict Iran’s access to technologies such as basic commercial grade microelectronics.
US President Joe Biden said in a statement that the US and G7 countries are “committed to acting collectively to increase economic pressure on Iran.”
“And our allies and partners have or will issue additional sanctions and measures to restrict Iran’s destabilizing military programs,” he said. “Let it be clear to all those who enable or support Iran’s attacks: The United States is committed to Israel’s security. We are committed to the security of our personnel and partners in the region. And we will not hesitate to take all necessary action to hold you accountable.”
“We will continue to work with our allies and partners to employ the full range of the tools at our disposal to address the revenue streams and disrupt the networks that support Iran’s reckless proliferation of weapons that destabilize the Middle East and beyond,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.
Iran launched an airborne attack Saturday on Israel in retaliation for an April 1 airstrike on its diplomatic compound in the Syrian capital.
It reportedly fired more than 300 drones and missiles, with almost all intercepted by the air defense systems of Israel and its allies – the US, France and the UK.
Iran claimed that some targets were hit. Israel, in turn, said it would respond to the Iranian attack, despite a chorus of world leaders imploring it to hold back.