US Sanctions Russian, Chinese, Turkish Entities over Iran’s Drones, Military Aircraft

The US Treasury Department building at dusk in Washington, June 6, 2019. (AP)
The US Treasury Department building at dusk in Washington, June 6, 2019. (AP)
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US Sanctions Russian, Chinese, Turkish Entities over Iran’s Drones, Military Aircraft

The US Treasury Department building at dusk in Washington, June 6, 2019. (AP)
The US Treasury Department building at dusk in Washington, June 6, 2019. (AP)

The Biden administration issued fresh Iran-related sanctions on Tuesday, targeting multiple people and entities in Iran, Russia, China and Türkiye in connection with Tehran's drone and military aircraft development.

The sanctions target seven individuals and four entities in the four countries that it said have "facilitated shipments and financial transactions" to the Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company and its unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and military aircraft efforts, the US Department of Treasury said in a statement.

“Iran’s continued, deliberate proliferation of its UAVs enables Russia, its proxies in the Middle East, and other destabilizing actors to undermine global stability,” U..Treasury Under Secretary of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said in a statement.

“The United States will continue to take action against Iran’s UAV procurement networks, and encourages jurisdictions to exercise the due diligence necessary to prevent the export of these components to Iran,” he added.

Washington had earlier sanctioned five China-based companies and one individual over selling and shipping aerospace components, including parts used for drones, to the Iranian company, according to the Treasury.

US officials had said more sanctions on Iran were expected even as the two nations engaged in a swap this week with five Americans freed from Iran returning to the United States earlier on Tuesday.



Thousands of Australians Without Power as Heavy Rain, Damaging Winds Lash Tasmania

The Coomera river is seen cutting a road at Clagiraba Road on the Gold Coast Tuesday, January 2, 2024. (AAP)
The Coomera river is seen cutting a road at Clagiraba Road on the Gold Coast Tuesday, January 2, 2024. (AAP)
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Thousands of Australians Without Power as Heavy Rain, Damaging Winds Lash Tasmania

The Coomera river is seen cutting a road at Clagiraba Road on the Gold Coast Tuesday, January 2, 2024. (AAP)
The Coomera river is seen cutting a road at Clagiraba Road on the Gold Coast Tuesday, January 2, 2024. (AAP)

Tens of thousands of people in Australia's southern island state of Tasmania were without power on Sunday after a cold front brought damaging winds and heavy rains, sparking flood warnings.
"Around 30,000 customers are without power across the state this morning," Tasnetworks, a state-owned power company, said on Facebook on Sunday.
The nation's weather forecaster said on its website that a cold front over Tasmania, population around 570,000 people, was moving away, "although bands of showers and thunderstorms continue to pose a risk of damaging wind gusts."
Properties, power lines and infrastructure had been damaged, Tasmania's emergency management minister Felix Ellis said in a televised media conference, adding that "the damage bill is likely to be significant".
Emergency authorities issued warnings for flooding, which they said could leave Tasmanians isolated for several days, as the state prepared for another cold front forecast to hit on Sunday night, Reuters reported.
“There is potential for properties to be inundated, and roads may not be accessible," executive director of Tasmania State Emergency Service, Mick Lowe, said in a statement.
Authorities had received 330 requests for assistance in the last 24 hours, according to the agency.
Tasmania is a one-hour flight or 10-hour ferry crossing from the mainland city of Melbourne, 445 km (275 miles) away. About 40% of the island is wilderness or protected areas.