TITLE: United States Office of Foreign Assets Control Adds Iranian Individuals and Entities to Sanctions Designations List
BODY:
On April 21, 2026, the United States Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced counter-terrorism and non-proliferation designations targeting Iranian missile and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) procurement networks. OFAC added eight individuals and five entities to its Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List, along with two aircraft operated by Mahan Air.
The designated individuals include Gholam Abbas Ataei Aghdam, Kamal Sabah Balkhkanlu, Jamshid Hosseinzadeh, Danial Khalili, Mohammad Hossein Mahdian, Hamidreza Roknifard, Mostafa Roknifard, and Mohammad Vahidi. These individuals are linked to procurement networks and trading companies involved in sanctions evasion activities. The designated entities include Chabok FZCO (also known as Chabok Aviation) based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Emti Fiber Textile Import Export Trade Limited Company in Istanbul, Turkey; Saman Air Services Company in Tehran; and Sepehr Kaveh Kish International Trading Company in Kish, Iran. Additionally, two Boeing 777-200ER aircraft (tail numbers EP-MTB and EP-MTE) operated by Mahan Air were designated.
The designations are made under Executive Order 13224, as amended by Executive Order 13886, and carry secondary sanctions risks. Individuals and entities subject to secondary sanctions restrictions face potential consequences for conducting transactions with designated parties. The SDN List update reflects OFAC's ongoing efforts to disrupt Iranian procurement networks engaged in acquiring materials and technology for missile and UAV programmes. All designated individuals and entities are now subject to comprehensive asset freezes and transaction prohibitions for U.S. persons and entities.