The United States imposed sanctions on a network of people supporting the procurement of weapons for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Wednesday, according to a press release from the US Treasury Department.
The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) identified seven individuals and organizations attempting to purchase and transfer weapons to Iran. The government action is underscored by an escalation of Iranian attacks towards commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and a parallel US military effort to halt Iran’s actions.
“President Trump has been clear that Iran must denuclearize,” said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. “Treasury will continue to target and disrupt the illicit procurement networks that fund Iran’s weapons programs and war machine.”
The attempted arms acquisition directly violated renewed UN Security Council resolutions that prohibit UN member states from the procurement, supply, sale, or transfer of weapons to Iran.
“OFAC will continue to disrupt the overseas procurement and financial networks that sustain Iran’s weapons production and proliferation efforts, which threaten Americans and US partners and allies worldwide,” the press statement emphasized.
The IRGC procurement network
One of the people sanctioned is Behrouz Namazi, an Iranian national identified as the general director of the Tehran-based Nika Jet Company, which distributes aircraft and drone parts. According to the press release, he is responsible for obtaining weapons for the IRGC through Vanguard Tactical Supply Limited and a Milan-based Italian national named Dounia Ettaib, who helps procure weapons for Namazi.
Russian national Mariya Vladimirovna Selina was also involved as the head of the financial department of Avratek, an aviation transportation company based in Moscow. Selina also allegedly supported Namazi’s procurement efforts on behalf of the IRGC, according to the Treasury’s statement.
Russian national Vadim Anatolyevich Druzhbin, another employee at Avratek, was also involved in coordinating shipments with Iran.
All implicated individuals and organizations have been penalized for “having provided, or attempted to provide, financial, material, technological or other support for, or goods or services in support of, the IRGC,” or to Namazi himself, under Executive Order 13382.
The sanctions require that all property owned by US individuals that is in any way related to the sanctioned individuals be immediately reported to OFAC, and that entities owned by the sanctioned individuals up to 50% be blocked.
The Treasury’s statement said that violations of US sanctions may result in civil or criminal penalties on US and foreign persons.
Emphasis on economic pressure on Iran
Operation Economic Fury also comes into play as a financial warfare strategy. The Treasury Department’s initiative was designed to impose a chokehold and place maximum economic pressure on Iran during the war, before the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding was signed.
The strategy consists of maritime blockade efforts in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as sanctions and asset seizures targeting underground weapons procurement networks intended to circumvent existing sanctions on Iran.
The US has taken action to reprimand people sourcing weapons for Iran in the past, including a group of 13 attempting to smuggle man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS) to the regime in June.
Aaron Glick contributed to this report.
