More Export Controls May Be Needed to Keep US Parts Out of Iranian Drones, State Dept. Says

The U.S. may consider new export controls to better prevent U.S. parts and components from being used in Iranian drones delivered to Russia, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said this week. Price's comments came the same day CNN reported that parts manufactured by more than a dozen U.S. and Western companies were found in an Iranian drone struck down in Ukraine last year.

“Of the 52 components Ukrainians removed from the Iranian Shahed-136 drone, 40 appear to have been manufactured by 13 different American companies,” the report said, illustrating that items are still slipping past export regulations and into Russian military weapons. The other 12 components were made by companies in Canada, Switzerland, Japan, Taiwan and China.

Price said the U.S. is "aware" of the report and is "focused" on preventing U.S. parts from being incorporated into the drones. "If there are additional steps we can take, including additional export restrictions, that's something we'll take a close look at," Price said during a Jan. 4 press conference.

The CNN report, which cites a Ukrainian intelligence assessment shared with the U.S. government, comes after the U.S. reportedly launched a task force to investigate how U.S. and Western parts, including microelectronics, are being found in Iranian-made drones used by Russia in Ukraine (see 2212290027). The report said the U.S. is looking to better encourage companies to monitor their supply chains and are trying to identify third-party distributors reselling controlled items to bad actors, but also said "there is no evidence suggesting that any of those companies are running afoul of US sanctions laws and knowingly exporting their technology to be used in the drones."

Price confirmed the State Department is "engaging" with U.S. industry on the issue. "Supply chain security is something that's especially important in a case like this to ensure that vendors know where their products are going, to ensure that we share information ... with the private sector as well."

Iran has delivered "hundreds" of drones to Russia to aid Moscow's war in Ukraine, National Security Council spokesperson Jon Kirby said during a Jan. 4 call with reporters. He said the White House is concerned about "this deepening, burgeoning defense relationship between Iran and Russia."

Kirby said it's "concerning to us not only because of the war in Ukraine, but what it could mean in terms of our national security interest in the Middle East and those of our partners there." The U.S. last year confirmed Iran has been selling drones to Russia and helping Russia operate equipment in Ukraine; the U.S. also sanctioned firms and people involved in those drones transfers (see 2211150060). Kirby said the U.S. has since seen "hundreds of drones provided by Iran to Russia to date."

Kirby declined to comment on any specific drone shipments, adding that the U.S. doesn't have "any indication that there's been some sort of consummation of a deal" for other types of weapons, including ballistic missiles, between Iran and Russia.