Iran's Drone Industry Is Harder to Sanction.

 

"Iran is now replicating parts for drones being used by Russia in Ukraine, helping its military evade international sanctions with domestically made components that it once sourced from overseas, according to a new analysis.

An Iranian company appears to have developed the ability to copy two parts used in suicide drones that used to come from Japanese electronics manufacturers, according to new findings from Conflict Armament Research, a U.K.-based investigative group that has been examining the drones in Ukraine.

Iran gets most of its drone parts from U.S., European and Japanese companies that sell commercially available components. Conflict Armament Research's findings illustrate how Iran is relying more on domestic firms to make parts for its unmanned aerial vehicles, making it harder for the West to disrupt it with sanctions.

This is the first time weapons investigators in Ukraine have found parts made by the small, private Iranian electronics firm Sarmad Electronics Sepahan in downed drones, the group said. The company, which didn't respond to requests for comment, isn't sanctioned by the U.S. or its allies for its alleged role in producing drones being used in Ukraine.

"As sanctions clamp down on foreign supplies, they certainly feel the need to produce as much domestically as they can," said Damien Spleeters, Conflict Armament Research's deputy director of operations, who has been examining the drones.

The U.S. and its allies say Tehran provides Moscow with hundreds of so-called suicide drones that Russian forces have used -- with limited success -- to target Ukraine's power plants in major cities. Iran says that it isn't supplying Russia with military aid for the events in Ukraine, though it admits it sold Moscow drones before the conflict started.

In a letter last month to the United Nations Security Council, Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran's ambassador to the U.N., criticized Conflict Armament Research and said its conclusions about the drones in Ukraine had no credibility.

Kyiv says Russia has launched more than 1,000 Iranian drones in scores of attacks during the past year. Ukraine has been able to largely neutralize the Iranian-drone threat, but the persistent attacks put a strain on the country's air-defense systems.

The U.S. and its allies have been searching for ways to restrict Iran's ability to build drones. The Biden administration and European nations have imposed sanctions on dozens of companies and individuals allegedly involved in Iran's drone industry.

But the effort appears to so far have had a limited impact. Many drone parts are widely available on the commercial market, making it hard for the U.S. and its allies to choke off the supplies heading to Iran.

The findings from Conflict Armament Research offer new insights into the evolution of Iran's drone industry.

Earlier this year, Spleeters discovered two pieces in Iranian drones used to target Ukraine that appeared to be copies of Japanese parts once used by Tehran for drones supplied to Houthi militants in Yemen. He noticed that the parts bore striking similarities to those advertised for sale on the Iranian company's website. One piece found in the drone bore the company's logo, he said." [1]

 By shooting down cheap drones with very expensive US missiles, Zelenskiy's followers are fueling the ill-concealed resentment of the US Republicans who control the US House of Congress.

1. World News: Iran's Drone Industry Is Harder to Sanction. Nissenbaum, Dion. 
Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 14 July 2023: A.9.