TEHRAN – On Wednesday, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced the designation of 21 entities and 17 individuals accused of supporting Iran’s Ministry of Defense Logistics (MODAFL), including the areas of missile production and military aviation.
Sanctions allege that these networks have facilitated the acquisition of sensitive technologies, including air defense systems and components of US-born helicopters.
The measure was announced in cooperation with the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI and presented as part of Washington’s efforts to reorder UN sanctions on Iran under a so-called “snapback” mechanism. US officials repeatedly filed years of allegations against Tehran, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bescent accused Iran of “support” and “pursuit of nuclear weapons,” and Iranian authorities have consistently rejected it as unfounded.
The network targeted by OFAC reportedly would reach Iran, Hong Kong, China, China, Germany, Türkiye, Portugal and Uruguay, with US officials claiming they provided components to ModaFL subsidiaries, including support for aerospace industry organizations, Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group, Shiraz Electinent Industries, Shiraz Electnion Andustries and Iran Helicopter. Washington said these companies are linked to Iran’s missile development and modernisation of defense.
The designation was imposed under Executive Order 13382. It has been used for a long time by Washington and sanctions Iranian defense agencies, including the IRGC, Modafl, and Iranian Atomic Energy Organization (AEOI).
In parallel, the UK Treasury released an update on its sanctions list on Wednesday, imposing assets freezes and financial restrictions on new groups of Iranian individuals and groups accused of linking with Iran’s nuclear program.
The UK statement directed banks and financial institutions to block accounts and resources of the listed people and to halt all transactions with them. In total, 121 new names have been added, ranging from AEOI officials and IRGC commanders to defense-related companies, research centres and Iranian banks.
The expanded list includes Iranian atomic energy organizations and facilities in Isfahan, Natanz and Karaj, as well as financial institutions such as Bank Sepa, many shipping and industrial companies, and research institutes such as Novin Energy and Mesba Energy. Several IRGC commanders and nuclear experts were also appointed.
Iran has repeatedly emphasized that its nuclear program is completely peaceful and undertaken under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) surveillance framework, and that sanctions are unfounded in international law. Iranian officials argue that such measures are designed to undermine the country’s sovereign rights to nuclear technology and scientific advances, while at the same time to injure the public through economic warfare.