The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that the Biden administration plans to impose new sanctions on Iran’s missile and drone programs.
The new sanctions package is in response to growing US concerns about the threats that Iran’s advanced military equipment poses to US troops and their allies in the region.
The new sanctions package targets Iran’s procurement systems for UAVs and missiles, as well as agents suspected of supplying parts needed for the equipment.
Western security officials have said that Iran’s ability to design and manufacture drones and ballistic missiles poses a more “immediate threat” compared to its nuclear enrichment program.
The United States blamed Iran for large-scale drone strikes on Saudi oil facilities in the region two years ago; Those precise attacks halted half of Saudi oil production for a while.
Israeli officials at the time blamed Iran for the attack on Saudi Arabia, adding that Iran had provided drone technology to Hezbollah as well as to its other regional ally, Hamas.
The Israeli government and military have repeatedly pointed to Hezbollah’s missile and drone capabilities as Iran’s most important terrorist arm in the region, and have called on the United States in the previous Donald Trump administration to take a firm stand on the issue.
About six months ago, the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Washington estimated that Iran has significantly improved its drone capabilities and, at the same time, receives engines and some other components needed in this area through “illegal means.”
The remarks of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ali Khamenei, in a farewell meeting with Hassan Rouhani’s government recently, seem to have further blurred the future of talks on Iran’s nuclear agreement.
Iran says it is not willing to negotiate its missile capabilities after the revival of the JCPOA.
Source » iranbriefing