US sanctions commander of Iranian drone program that attacked shipping vessel
By Jennifer Hansler, CNN
The Biden administration on Friday sanctioned a number of companies and individuals connected to Iran’s military drone program as well as the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force Umanned Aerial Vehicle Command (UAV) under whose leadership the US says Iran conducted a deadly attack on a shipping vessel earlier this year.
According to the US Treasury Department, “IRGC Brigadier General Saeed Aghajani, who oversees the IRGC ASF UAV Command, directs the planning, equipment, and training for IRGC ASF UAV operations.”
“Under his leadership, the IRGC ASF UAV Command orchestrated the July 29, 2021 attack on the commercial shipping vessel Mercer Street off the coast of Oman, which resulted in the deaths of two crewmen,” it said.
A US Defense Department expert team concluded in August that the drone behind that deadly attack was produced in Iran.
The assault on the Mercer Street, which left two crewmembers dead, ratcheted up tensions in the region and prompted unified outcry from the G7 coalition of nations, whose foreign ministers placed the blame squarely on Iran and condemned the attack as “a clear violation of international law.”
The Treasury Department said in press release Friday that “Aghajani also was behind a UAV attack against a Saudi Arabian oil refinery in 2019.”
“Iran’s proliferation of UAVs across the region threatens international peace and stability. Iran and its proxy militants have used UAVs to attack U.S. forces, our partners, and international shipping,” Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo said in a statement.
This story is breaking and will be updated.
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