The United States has imposed sanctions on five Chinese companies and a Chinese national for exporting aerospace components and drone parts to an Iranian maker. The US believes Russia has used Iran's Shahed drones in its attacks on Ukraine.
The US Treasury Department said on Thursday that the designated entities had been added to its list of sanctions. Their assets in the US are frozen and transactions involving them are prohibited.
The department said a company based in eastern China's Zhejiang Province was involved in the sale and shipment to the Iranian firm of aerospace components, including engines and other parts for the Shahed drones.
Another firm based in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southern China has allegedly facilitated the sale and shipment of thousands of aerospace components worth over 1 million dollars to the Iranian company.
A senior US Treasury Department official criticized Iran, saying the country is directly implicated in the Ukrainian civilian casualties resulting from Russia's use of the Iranian drones. The official added that the US will continue to target global Iranian procurement networks that supply Russia with the deadly drones.