Two Ukrainian Companies Sanctioned for Supplying Drone Parts to Iranian Military Manufacturer
The U.S. Treasury Department announced on Wednesday that two companies based in Ukraine have been supplying key parts to an Iranian state-owned military manufacturer involved in drone production. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) revealed it was imposing sanctions on GK Imperativ and Ekofera for their roles in facilitating Iran’s drone manufacturing capabilities.
According to the Treasury Department, these firms acted as fronts for Iranian procurement agents who supplied aerospace parts to the Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company (HESA). HESA is known for designing and building the Shahed-131 and Shahed-136 drones—long-range loitering munitions heavily used by Russia in attacks on Ukrainian cities.
The Treasury particularly highlighted HESA’s development of the Ababil-series unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). These low-cost, multi-role drones can perform both reconnaissance and attack missions. Iran-aligned militant groups, including Hamas, the Houthis, and Hezbollah, are known users of these UAVs.
GK Imperativ and Ekofera helped Iran obtain critical components such as attitude indicators, which help aircraft determine the angle of their nose, and magnetometers, which measure magnetic fields. The Treasury’s statement identified three Iranian agents—Bahram Tabibi, Batoul Shafiei, and Saeed Pahlavani Nejad—who collaborated with the Ukrainian companies to create a network supplying alternator components, engines, sensors, and other parts to Iran.
Company Profiles
GK Imperativ is listed in Ukrainian business directories as established in 2018, based in Kharkiv, and owned by Tabibi Jabali Bahram. The company is described as dealing in chemicals and construction materials.
Ekofera, also known as Econsfera—which translates to “Ecosphere” in English—was established in 2016. It maintains offices in Kharkiv and Kyiv and is characterized as a consultancy and intermediary for wholesale goods and machinery.
Efforts to reach both companies for comment were unsuccessful, with Business Insider reporting unanswered calls.
Sanctions Details
The Treasury Department added the three Iranian agents and the two Ukrainian companies to the U.S. sanctions list under Executive Order 13382, which targets proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and their supporters.
John Hurley, Undersecretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, emphasized the broader implications: “The United States also expects the international community to fully implement UN snapback sanctions on Iran to cut off its access to the global financial system.”
This announcement is part of a larger package, which includes sanctions against 32 individuals and entities across multiple countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Germany, China, Hong Kong, India, and Ukraine. All are accused of supporting Iran’s ballistic missile and unmanned aerial vehicle production.
The U.S. government continues to monitor and take action against networks that facilitate the spread of military drone technology, underscoring the ongoing concerns surrounding Iran’s military activities and regional instability.
https://www.businessinsider.com/iran-military-drones-supplied-ukraine-companies-shahed-ababil-2025-11