Washington targeted six individuals and entities in China, India, Russia and Iran, saying they support the IRGC and Mahan Air’s role in moving weapons, personnel and equipment.
The United States imposed sanctions on six individuals and entities in China, India, Russia and Iran for supporting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Mahan Air, which U.S. officials described as the IRGC’s preferred airline for transporting weapons, military personnel and equipment. The action expands Washington’s pressure campaign against Mahan Air’s support network. The Treasury Department said the airline has facilitated military training and helped procure drone systems by providing travel services for the IRGC-Qods Force. U.S. officials also targeted DadeNegar Startup Studio, which they described as an IRGC-affiliated front company accused of aiding military targeting by soliciting the locations of American and Israeli assets in the Middle East. Mahan Air has been under U.S. sanctions since October 12, 2011, when the Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, designated the airline under Executive Order 13224 over alleged support for the IRGC-Qods Force. Earlier sanctions actions hit parts of the carrier’s support network, including UAE-based Parthia Cargo and Delta Parts Supply FZC in 2020 and Shanghai Saint Logistics in China. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said financial or commercial support for the network helps sustain a terrorist enterprise, while State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott warned that companies and individuals doing business with Mahan Air or other sanctioned Iranian carriers face serious risks. The measures rely on traditional financial sanctions tools rather than any blockchain-based enforcement.