WASHINGTON, United States: The United States offered up to $15 million on July 30 for information disrupting an IRGC drone network that Washington links to Iranian company Kimia Part Sivan, or KIPAS.
The State Department’s Rewards for Justice programme described KIPAS, based in Isfahan in central Iran, as the drone-production arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Qods Force.
Washington accused the company of procuring drone components from foreign suppliers, conducting unmanned aerial vehicle flight tests and providing technical assistance for aircraft transferred to Iraq for IRGC operations.
The notice named six senior KIPAS personnel: Hasan Arambunezhad, Abolfazl Ramazanzadeh Moshkani, Mehdi Ghaffari Naghneh, Reza Nahar Dani, Abbas Sartaji and Hadi Jamshidi Zavaraki.
The US Treasury Department sanctioned the six men on April 18, 2024. It is alleged that they acted for the Qods Force and participated in drone testing, development and supply involving groups in Iraq, Yemen and Syria.
Read: Iran Drone Swarm Seen Before US F-15 Downing
Treasury previously designated KIPAS on October 29, 2021, under US counterterrorism authorities. It accused the company of providing material, financial or technological support to the Qods Force.
The restrictions block property held by KIPAS and the six officials in the United States or under US control. They also expose financial institutions and other parties involved in certain transactions with them to possible sanctions or enforcement action.
Read: US and Allies Rush to Develop Copies of Iran’s Deadly Shahed Drones
The reward followed separate US sanctions announced on July 29 and July 30 against an alleged IRGC-backed maritime insurance scheme and international networks supporting Iran’s Mahan Air.
