US Sanctions Global Entities Supporting Iran’s Missile, Drone Capabilities

‘Iran exploits financial systems to ... procure components for its nuclear and conventional weapons programs,’ a Treasury Department official said.

The Treasury Department in Washington on Aug. 8, 2025. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

The United States has imposed sanctions on dozens of individuals and entities across several countries, including China and Hong Kong, for operating procurement networks to aid Iran’s ballistic missile and drone production.

The Treasury Department announced the sanctions on 32 individuals and entities on Nov. 12. It is the second round of nonproliferation measures since the U.N. Security Council reinstated an arms embargo and other sanctions on Iran in late September.

Other countries where the sanctioned entities are based include Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, India, Germany, and Ukraine.

“Across the globe, Iran exploits financial systems to launder funds, procure components for its nuclear and conventional weapons programs, and support its terrorist proxies,” John Hurley, undersecretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, said in a statement.

“At the direction of President [Donald] Trump, we are putting maximum pressure on Iran to end its nuclear threat. The United States also expects the international community to fully implement UN snapback sanctions on Iran to cut off its access to the global financial system.”

One of the networks involved a three-person venture that the Treasury described as the “MVM partnership,” which is accused of buying chemicals used to make ballistic missile propellant from China on behalf of Iran’s Defense Industries Organization. The chemicals included sodium chlorate, sodium perchlorate, and sebacic acid.

Sodium perchlorate, derived from sodium chlorate, is used to make ammonium perchlorate, a chemical that helps fuel many solid rocket engines.

According to the Treasury, the partnership has “procured and transported hundreds of metric tons” of these chemicals from China since 2023.

The three individuals running the partnership are Marco Klinge, based in the United Arab Emirates; Majid Dolatkhah, based in Iran; and Vahid Qayumi, based in Turkey. The Treasury blacklisted the three and several entities tied to them.

China-based national Ma Jie and 11 entities are also sanctioned as part of another network aiding Iran-based Oje Parvaz Mado Nafar Co. The company, which was sanctioned by the United States in 2021, manufactures the Iranian military’s one-way attack drones, the Shahed-131 and the Shahed-136.

“[Ma] supports Mado’s affairs in China, including making travel arrangements for visiting Mado employees and coordinating meetings between Iranian defense officials and their China-based suppliers,” the Treasury stated.

Ma’s Hong Kong-based companies had been involved in facilitating millions of dollars in transactions, according to the department.

The Treasury also targeted a network that supports Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Co., a state-owned subsidiary of the Iranian Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics, which produces military aircraft and drones.

“These networks pose a threat to U.S. and allied personnel in the Middle East and to commercial shipping in the Red Sea,” the Treasury stated.

The State Department, in a statement on the Treasury’s actions, urged all U.N. member states to implement the pre-2016 sanctions.

“The United States will continue to use all available means, including sanctions on entities based in third countries, to expose, disrupt, and counter Iran’s procurement of equipment and items for its ballistic missile and [unmanned aerial vehicle] programs, which jeopardize regional security and international stability,” State Department spokesman Thomas Pigott said.

In the first round of nonproliferation sanctions, announced on Oct. 1, the Treasury named 21 entities and 17 individuals involved in networks that helped Tehran procure technology for its surface-to-air missile systems and illegally purchase a U.S.-made helicopter.

The October sanctions targeted a network based in Iran, Hong Kong, and China for procuring U.S.-origin, dual-use electronics for an Iran-controlled entity that manufactures equipment for the Iranian military.

On Nov. 11, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh said Iran is seeking a “peaceful” nuclear agreement with the United States.

The United States, along with its European allies and Israel, has accused Iran of using its nuclear program as a cover for its attempts to develop atomic weapons. Tehran has rejected the charge.

Correction: An earlier version of this article misspelled the name of Iran-based manufacturer Oje Parvaz Mado Nafar Co. The Epoch Times regrets the error.