The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on six entities and individuals, including India-based Skiez Travels and Logistics Private Limited, accusing them of supporting Iranian airline Mahan Air and, by extension, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The US Department of the Treasury said the sanctioned entities acted as general sales agents (GSAs) for Mahan Air, which Washington alleges has long assisted the IRGC by transporting personnel, facilitating military training, and aiding the movement of unmanned aerial vehicle systems and weapons.
"Those who provide financial services, logistics, or commercial support to the IRGC or Mahan Air are helping sustain a terrorist enterprise," Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said in a statement.
Bessent said the Department of Treasury will continue to identify them, expose them, and cut them off from the US financial system.
According to the Treasury Department, Skiez Travels and Logistics Private Limited, which has offices in Srinagar and Delhi, has represented Mahan Air as its general sales agent since 2020.
The sanctions also target China-based Shanghai Wings International Logistics Co, Russia-based Air Cargo Pro Limited, China-based Shanghai Elite International Travel Co, and Tang Xin, the managing director of Shanghai Wings.
The Treasury alleged that Shanghai Wings coordinated the transport of electronics from China to Iran, while Tang Xin also serves as executive director and a 50 per cent owner of Shanghai Elite, another GSA for Mahan Air in China.
In a separate action, the Treasury Department designated DadeNegar Startup Studio, describing it as an IRGC-affiliated front company accused of supporting Iranian military targeting operations through an online platform.
The department alleged that DadeNegar solicited information on the locations of American and Israeli equipment to support Iranian military targeting and, in coordination with the IRGC, received strike requests for US targets in West Asia.
(With inputs from PTI)
