US imposes sanctions on 13 tied to Iran weapons procurement

The United States has sanctioned 10 individuals and entities for allegedly helping Iran's Ministry of Defense procure weapons and components. Those sanctioned are based in China, Hong Kong, and Pakistan. The US Treasury Department said the sanctions aim to degrade Tehran's ability to reconstitute its weapons programs and increase costs for those supporting its procurement efforts.

The sanctions are part of a broader US effort to isolate Iran economically. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that the US will continue to target and disrupt those providing material, technological, or financial support to the Iranian regime. According to the US Treasury, the sanctioned individuals include a China-based representative of the Iranian Defence Ministry and representatives of several firms that allegedly procure components used for Iranian weapons development.

The US Treasury did not provide further details on the specific components or weapons procured. Iraq's transport ministry reported that Iraqi Airways is preparing to resume flights to Iran in October, after securing a special exemption.

Brief written by urgent.news from Al-Monitor, Jerusalem Post, Middle East Eye — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.