EU imposes sanctions on Iranian company for supplying Russia with kamikaze drones used to attack Ukraine

The European Union has added the Iranian company Shahed Aviation Industries, producer of drones, to the sanctions list, the Official Journal of the European Union states.

Furthermore, three natural persons were sanctioned by the EU: Chief of Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces Major-General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Aerospace Force Saeed Aghajani, and Head of the Supply, Research, and Industrial Affairs Division of the country’s Defence Ministry Sayed Hojatollah Qureishi.

Iranian Shahed-36 kamikaze drones are used by Russian troops to attack Ukraine’s infrastructure, the statement notes. “Shahed Aviation Industries is responsible for supporting actions which undermine or threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence of Ukraine,” the document states.

On 17 October, Ukrainian authorities reported that Russian troops had attacked Kyiv using kamikaze drones; four people were killed. On 5 October, the Kyiv region authorities said that kamikaze drones Shahed-136 had been used to attack the town of Bila Tserkva. On 7 October, the Russian military used Iranian kamikaze drones Shahed-136 to strike upon the city of Zaporizhzhia controlled by Ukraine for the first time; one person was injured.

On 16 October, The Washington Post revealed that Iran had signed a contract with Russia and would supply it with its Fateh-110 and Zolfaghar ballistic missiles intended for use in Ukraine. The missiles are capable of striking targets at distances of 300 and 700 kilometres. If carried out, it would be the first delivery of such missiles to Russia since the start of the war. Iran was also preparing new deliveries of unmanned aerial vehicles for Russia, including “dozens” of additional Mohajer-6s and a larger number of Shahed-136s kamikaze drones, according to WP.