US Sanctions 10 in China, HK, Pakistan Over Iran Weapons — SkimNews
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- US Treasury sanctioned 10 individuals and entities based in China, Hong Kong, and Pakistan for allegedly helping Iran procure weapons and components, naming targets including a Beijing-based representative of Iran's defense ministry and firms linked to electronics procurement for Iranian defense firms.
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Treasury 'will not tolerate any support to the regime' and will continue 'to identify, expose, and isolate Iran's enablers,' framing the sanctions as aimed at degrading Tehran's ability to reconstitute its weapons programs.
- Targeted individuals include Seyyed Asghar Alizadeh Tabatabai, who coordinated weapons and dual-use component procurement in China for Iran's Ministry of Defense; Pakistan-based Waseem Pasha Tajammal, chairman of Cavalier Group; and Li Fen, EC Mojo Technology's China-based representative.
- Iran-based Kavoshcom Asia R and D Group and Hong Kong-based EC Mojo Technology were sanctioned for procuring electronics, including connectors for Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company.
- Brett Erickson of Obsidian Risk Advisors dismissed the action's effectiveness, saying it does little to impede Iran's ability to launch missiles and drones in the Strait of Hormuz and characterizing it as 'optics management' and 'poking them with a toothpick.'
- The sanctions are framed as part of the Trump administration's broader effort to economically isolate Iran and force negotiations to end the US-Iran war that began in February.
Why it matters: The sanctions span three countries that serve as key nodes in Iran's covert defense supply chain — China, Hong Kong, and Pakistan — meaning the action directly pressures the cross-border logistics network Iran relies on to rebuild weapons stockpiles. The on-record skepticism from analyst Brett Erickson, who calls the move 'poking them with a toothpick' against Iran's active missile and drone capabilities in the Strait of Hormuz, underscores that symbolic designations alone may not meaningfully degrade Iran's military capacity even as the Treasury seeks to raise costs for enablers.
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