The U.S. Department of the Treasury reported this Thursday the imposition of new sanctions against an individual and five companies, four of which are identified for supporting the activity of the Iranian airline Mahan Air, already sanctioned by Washington for providing services to the Islamic Republic Revolutionary Guard.
Among the targets of the measures dictated by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the United States (OFAC) are the China-based firms Shanghai Elite International Travel Co and Shanghai Wings International Logistics Co, along with the executive director of both, Tang Xin.
According to the Treasury, these two companies act as "sales agents" for Mahan Air in Chinese territory, an accusation that also extends to Skiez Travels and Logistics Private Limited and Air Cargo Pro Limited, with operations in India and Russia, respectively.
U.S. authorities justify the decision by stating that these entities provide services to Mahan Air, which "pretends to be a civilian airline" while transporting on its planes "Revolutionary Guard personnel for their military training, in addition to facilitating the acquisition and transportation by Iran of unmanned aerial vehicle systems and weapons to and from Iran."
Furthermore, Washington has added DadeNegar Startup Studio to the sanctions list, described as a "front company affiliated" with the Revolutionary Guard, which "supports military operations through the use of a website," collecting data on the "location of U.S. and Israeli forces" in order to facilitate Tehran's operations in the ongoing war.