US sanctions that target Iranian ballistic missiles add heft to Ukraine’s threats

On friday the United States issued new sanctions targeting suppliers of Iranian drones that Washington said have been used to target civilian infrastructure in Ukraine during the conflict with Russia.

Russia has been attacking vital Ukraine infrastructure since October with barrages of missile and drones, causing sweeping power blackouts as cold weather sets in.

The U.S. Treasury Department said it imposed sanctions on six executives and board members of Iran’s Qods Aviation Industries (QAI), also known as Light Airplanes Design and Manufacturing Industries.

The Treasury described QAI, which has been under U.S. sanctions since 2013, as a key Iranian defense manufacturer responsible for designing and producing drones.

“We will continue to use every tool at our disposal to deny [Russian President Vladimir] Putin the weapons that he is using to wage his barbaric and unprovoked war on Ukraine,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in the statement.