US sanctions 32 individuals and entities, including in India, for backing Iran’s missile and UAV programs

The United States on Wednesday sanctioned 32 individuals and entities, including in India, for backing Iran’s missile and UAV programs.

The US Department of state said that today’s action supports the September 27 reimposition of United Nations sanctions and restrictive measures on Iran in response to Iran’s ‘significant non-performance’ of its nuclear commitments.

The department said that 32 individuals and entities based in Iran, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Türkiye, China, Hong Kong, India, Germany, and Ukraine, have been sanctioned.

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

The United States will continue to use all available means, including sanctions on entities based in third countries, to expose, disrupt, and counter Iran’s procurement of equipment and items for its ballistic missile and UAV programs, which jeopardize regional security and international stability, the department added.

“Across the globe, Iran exploits financial systems to launder funds, procure components for its nuclear and conventional weapons programs, and support its terrorist proxies,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John K. Hurley.

“At the direction of President Trump, we are putting maximum pressure on Iran to end its nuclear threat. The United States also expects the international community to fully implement UN snapback sanctions on Iran to cut off its access to the global financial system.”

The US said that the action is being taken in furtherance of National Security Presidential Memorandum 2, which directs the US government to curtail Iran’s ballistic missile program, counter Iran’s development of other asymmetric and conventional weapons capabilities, deny Iran a nuclear weapon, and deny the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) access to assets and resources that sustain their destabilizing activities.

Meanwhile, the United States announced that it was imposing sanctions on an armed Myanmar group — alongside four of its senior leaders — accusing them of supporting cyber scam centers that target Americans.

The action took aim at the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), alongside companies Trans Asia and Troth Star, for their alleged roles in helping to develop these scam centers, the US Treasury Department said.

“The revenue generated by scam center workers — who are often themselves victims of human trafficking — supports organized crime and allows the DKBA to finance its harmful activities,” the Treasury added.