Wall Street Journal: The Islamic Republic Circumvents Drone Sanctions by 'Copying'

The American newspaper Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, July 13, citing findings from the British think tank 'War Weapons Research', that the Islamic Republic is circumventing U.S. and allied sanctions by copying foreign drone components. According to the think tank's findings, the company 'Sarmad Electronic Sepahan' has developed the ability to replicate two components produced by two Japanese companies that are used in Iranian suicide drones. Damin Splitzers, the Deputy Operations Director at the 'War Weapons Research' think tank, told the Wall Street Journal that due to the pressure of sanctions, the Islamic Republic feels the need to produce more of the components used in its drones. The Wall Street Journal reported that earlier this year, Splitzers noticed that two components used in an Iranian drone shot down in Ukraine were copies of Japanese components that the Islamic Republic had previously used in drones sent to the Yemeni Houthis. After examining the components, he noticed their high similarity to the components advertised on the website of Sarmad Electronic Sepahan. The company stated on its website that it has the capability to reverse-engineer components for its customers, and despite its potential role in producing drones used against Ukraine, it is still not under U.S. and allied sanctions. The Wall Street Journal noted that Japanese officials accused the company 'Tonegawa Seiko' in 2021 of attempting to illegally export 150 small servo motors to China. Meanwhile, servo motors produced by this Japanese company were seized by the United Arab Emirates on their way to Yemen in 2018. Additionally, in 2020, the U.S. Navy intercepted a similar shipment bound for Yemen in the Gulf of Aden. According to Splitzers, the control motor used in a Mohajer-6 drone appears to be an Iranian copy of the part from 'Tonegawa Seiko'. After examining the wreckage of a Shahed-131 drone shot down in Ukraine, he found that the flow meter of this drone resembles a component produced by another Japanese company called 'Oval'. Splitzers stated that this component bears the logo of Sarmad Electronic Sepahan. This is while UN inspectors found flow meters produced by 'Oval' in the wreckage of drones that attacked Saudi Arabian oil facilities in 2019. Ukraine claims that Russia has used over a thousand Iranian-made drones in attacks against its facilities and civilians. The U.S. and its allies are also seeking ways to limit the Islamic Republic's ability to produce drones. In this context, the Biden administration and European governments have imposed several sanctions packages against companies, entities, and individuals accused of involvement in Iran's drone production industry.