WASHINGTON, 30 October 2021, (TON): The US Treasury hit Iran's drone programme with sanctions, boosting pressure on Tehran ahead of the reopening of negotiations on the country's nuclear programme.

The Treasury said lethal unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have been used to attack US forces and international shipping in the Gulf region.

The Treasury said “the drones have also been supplied to Hezbollah, Hamas, and Yemen's Houthis, and have also been seen in Ethiopia, where the escalating crisis threatens to destabilize the broader region.”

The sanctions singled out Brigadier General Saeed Aghajani, who leads the Revolutionary Guards' UAV Command.

The Treasury said that Aghajani was behind a 2019 drone attack on an oil refinery in Saudi Arabia as well as the July 29, 2021 attack on a commercial ship off the coast of Oman that saw two crewmen killed.

Also named to the sanctions blacklist were two companies, Kimia Part Sivan and Oje Parvaz Mado Nafar, which provide components for and help develop the armed UAVs of the Revolutionary Guards.

Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said in a statement “Iran’s proliferation of UAVs across the region threatens international peace and stability.”

He said “Treasury will continue to hold Iran accountable for its irresponsible and violent acts."

The sanctions came nine days after an attack on a US military base in Al-Tanf, Syria that involved drones.