Sanctions against Russia
80 Commons Library Research Briefing, 22 March 2023
5.2 Iran
Recent Russian military attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure have been
partly conducted using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV).
Those UAV are reported to be Iranian-manufactured Shahed-136 drones, also
referred to as kamikaze drones, transferred to Russia from Iran and,
allegedly, in contravention of UN Security Council resolution UNSCR 2231
(PDF).
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That resolution in 2015 endorsed the Iran nuclear deal (the Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action) and also prohibited the sale or transfer of
arms to and from Iran without the prior approval of the Security Council
(Annex B).
UK and EU sanctions
In response to Iran's actions, which the FCDO has called "warmongering",
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on 20 October 2022 the UK and EU imposed sanctions targeting the
individuals and businesses responsible for supplying the drones:
• Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Chief of Staff of Iran's armed forces.
• Brigadier General Seyed Qureishi, Head of the Supply, Research and
Industrial Affairs Division at the Iranian Ministry of Defence and a key
negotiator in the drone deal.
• Brigadier General Saeed Aghajani, the Head of the Islamic Revolutionary
Guards Corp Aerospace Force (IRGC-ASF).
• Shahed Aviation Industries – manufacturer of the Shahed drones and
associated with the IRGC.
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On 12 December 2022, the EU announced additional sanctions measures
against four individuals and four entities for their role in the development and
delivery of UAV to Russia. Those designations include:
• MADO, the manufacturer of engines for the drones used in Ukraine and
the company's co-owner and Managing Director, Yousef Aboutalebi
• The IRGC Research and Sufficiency Jihad Organisation and its Head
Abdollah Mehrabi,
• Brigadier General Ali Balali, an IRGC officer
• Brigadier General Hamid Vahedi, Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Air
Force.
• The Iranian company DAMA, which is involved in the production of the
Shahed UAV.
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Statement by UK Ambassador to the UN, James Kariuki, 26 October 2022
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Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Press release, 20 October 2022
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HM Treasury, Financial Sanctions Notice (PDF), 20 October 2022; Council of the European Union,
Press release, 20 October 2022
