The U.S. government on Wednesday unveiled a fresh round of sanctions targeting dozens of Iranian individuals and entities, framing the move as support for the recently restored United Nations “snapback” sanctions regime on Tehran.
In a coordinated effort led by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), 21 entities and 17 individuals linked to Iran’s Ministry of Defense and its military procurement networks have been added to the U.S. sanctions list. The designations aim at procurement networks that facilitate the acquisition of sensitive dual-use goods and technology for Iran’s missile systems and military aircraft production. Among the targets is a network operating across Iran, Hong Kong, and China that has reportedly procured U.S.-origin electronics for Iran’s defense sector, including radar and missile guidance components. The U.S. also singled out a procurement ring implicated in securing a U.S.-manufactured helicopter for the Iranian military.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent framed the sanctions as a direct response to Iran’s continued development of weapon systems and support for regional proxies, warning that these capabilities pose dangers to U.S. personnel in the Middle East, commercial shipping, and civilian populations. He linked the action to broader U.S. strategy under President Trump to “deny the regime weapons it would use to further its malign objectives.”
These sanctions strengthen the U.S. pressure campaign following the September 27 reactivation of U.N. restrictions under the snapback mechanism, which restored arms embargoes, export controls, travel bans, and asset freezes on Iran. Tehran, for its part, dismissed the snapback and U.S. actions as illegal and unjustified.
