US Targets Iranian Drone Supply Chain with Sanctions and Criminal Charges

In a significant escalation of efforts to dismantle Iran’s illicit weapons procurement networks, the United States has unsealed a criminal complaint against two Iranian nationals and an Iranian company for conspiring to supply the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) with US-made technology used in attack drones. The move comes alongside a coordinated sanctions package by the Department of the Treasury targeting entities in Iran, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

Hossein Akbari, 63, and Reza Amidi, 62, both Iranian nationals, and the Tehran-based Rah Roshd Company stand accused of violating US export controls, providing material support to the IRGC — a designated foreign terrorist organisation — and committing money laundering. Akbari, Rah Roshd’s CEO, and Amidi, the firm’s commercial manager and former executive at Qods Aviation Industries (QAI), are both at large.

According to court documents, Rah Roshd functioned as a key procurement hub for Iran’s drone programme, sourcing advanced electronic and optical components from US manufacturers to support the development of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), including the Mohajer-6 — a drone later deployed by Russia in Ukraine. US authorities revealed that components made by a Brooklyn-based company were recovered from a downed Mohajer-6 in 2022, linking American technology directly to the Iranian-Russian drone supply chain.

To evade detection, the accused allegedly employed shell companies in the UAE and Belgium, spoofed corporate identities, and laundered funds through complex financial routes involving Chinese suppliers. These deceptive practices allowed Rah Roshd to obscure the end users of the technology, including IRGC and Iran’s Ministry of Defence.

This case exposes how US components were funnelled into Iran’s drone programme in defiance of sanctions,” said the head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “We are committed to dismantling these covert supply chains and holding accountable those aiding Iran’s military and terror networks.

Further strengthening the crackdown, the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced new sanctions on six entities and two individuals involved in the procurement of drone parts for QAI, HESA, and the Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group (SBIG) — all prominent players in Iran’s UAV development and broader defence infrastructure.

These measures fall under the wider mandate of the Disruptive Technology Strike Force, a joint initiative by the Departments of Justice and Commerce tasked with preventing the diversion of sensitive technologies to authoritarian regimes. The Strike Force has intensified scrutiny on the misuse of dual-use goods and financial systems that enable state-backed threats to global security.

The case underscores the expanding threat posed by Iranian UAV proliferation, particularly in light of its strategic partnership with Russia and growing military ties with sanctioned entities. It also highlights the central role of transnational networks in circumventing export controls — often exploiting weak regulatory environments and global financial hubs.

As investigations continue, the US government sends a clear message: the exploitation of American technology to fuel conflict and empower state sponsors of terrorism will not be tolerated. Entities and individuals involved in these activities face prosecution, sanctions, and international isolation.

Read the press release here.