The United States has imposed new sanctions on an Iranian airline and two Russian companies accused of supporting military procurement and the transfer of weapons and related equipment involving Iran.
The measures were announced on September 29 as Washington expanded its efforts to disrupt Iran’s military supply networks. The U.S. Department of State designated Russia-based aircraft manufacturer Yakovlev, Russian shipping company MG-FLOT, and Iran-based Saha Airlines under an executive order targeting certain activities connected to Iran’s conventional arms trade.
The State Department said the action came around the one-year anniversary of the reimposition of United Nations sanctions and restrictions on Iran. Washington said the latest designations are intended to restrict Iran’s ability to obtain military equipment and prevent the rebuilding of proliferation-sensitive programs.
Yakovlev targeted over Yak-130 aircraft
Yakovlev, a Russian aircraft manufacturer, was sanctioned over its role in producing and supplying Yak-130 advanced trainer fighter aircraft to Iran.
According to the State Department, Russia initially delivered several Yak-130 aircraft to Iran in late 2023. Additional equipment connected to the aircraft was subsequently shipped to Iran from a manufacturing facility in Irkutsk in November and December 2025.
The U.S. government said Russia has now delivered nearly all of the reportedly 24 Yak-130 aircraft contracted by Iran. The aircraft can be used for advanced pilot training and have military applications.
Yakovlev had already been designated by the United States in 2023 under a separate Russia-related sanctions authority. The latest action applies an additional sanctions designation linked specifically to Iran’s conventional arms activities.
MG-FLOT accused of transporting military equipment
The United States also sanctioned MG-FLOT, a Russia-based shipping company whose vessels have been used to transport military-related cargo.
The State Department said MG-FLOT vessels were involved in the transfer of close-range ballistic missiles from Iran to Russia in 2024.
Washington also pointed to shipments in late 2025 involving Russian roll-on/roll-off vessel Kompozitor Rakhmaninov. The ship transported air-defense vehicles and related military equipment from Iran to Russia, according to the State Department.
MG-FLOT previously operated under the name TransMorFlot LLC. The company changed its name to MG-FLOT in June 2022, while TransMorFlot had already been sanctioned by the United States earlier that year.
Saha Airlines faces another US designation
Saha Airlines, an Iranian carrier affiliated with the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, was also included in the latest State Department action.
U.S. officials said the airline has been involved in transporting arms and related military material for Iran.
Saha Airlines had already been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department in September 2026 as part of a broader action against Iran’s aviation sector. The new designation adds another sanctions authority connected to conventional arms activities.
Treasury announces separate Iran procurement sanctions
The State Department’s action came alongside a separate announcement from the U.S. Treasury Department.
Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned 10 individuals and entities across multiple jurisdictions over what Washington described as procurement networks supplying weapons and weapons components to Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics.
The Treasury action included an Iranian procurement network operating through China and Hong Kong, as well as a Pakistan-based businessman and companies connected to his defense business interests in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye.
Treasury said the targeted networks had procured military equipment, electronics and other components associated with Iran’s weapons programs, including ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles.
Sanctions form part of Operation Economic Outcast
The latest measures are part of the Trump administration’s Operation Economic Outcast, launched by the Treasury Department on August 24, 2026.
The campaign is designed to restrict Iran’s access to international financial channels, disrupt procurement networks and target entities involved in revenue generation, sanctions evasion and military supply activities.
Under the new designations, property and interests in property belonging to the sanctioned entities that are in the United States or under the control of U.S. persons are blocked. U.S. persons are generally prohibited from conducting transactions involving blocked property unless authorized under applicable licenses or exemptions.
