US puts curbs on firms for supporting Iran, Pakistan weapons programs

washington — The United States added more than two dozen entities to a trade blacklist Monday over alleged support of weapons and drone development programs in Iran and Pakistan, and for other issues including aiding Russia's war effort in Ukraine.  The 26 targets, mostly in Pakistan, China and the United Arab Emirates, were said to have violated export controls, been involved in "weapons programs of concern," or evaded U.S. sanctions and export controls on Russia and Iran, the Commerce Department said.  Their addition to the so-called "entity list" restricts them from getting U.S. items and technologies without government authorization.  “We are vigilant in defending U.S. national security from bad actors,” Alan Estevez, undersecretary of commerce for industry and security, said in a statement.  "Our actions today send a message to malicious actors that if they violate our controls, they will pay a price," he added.  Nine entities in Pakistan were accused of being front companies and procurement agents for the already blacklisted Advanced Engineering Research Organization.  Since 2010, the group was said to have procured U.S.-origin items by disguising their end users, who include a Pakistani entity responsible for the country's cruise missile and strategic drone program.  “This activity is contrary to the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States,” the Commerce Department said.  Six entities in China were added to the list for allegedly acquiring U.S.-origin items to support China's military modernization or to aid Iran 's weapons and drone programs, among other reasons.  And three entities in the UAE, alongside another in Egypt, were said to have acquired or attempted to obtain U.S. components to avoid sanctions imposed after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the department said.  On Monday, the Commerce Department also removed Canada-based Sandvine from the entity list, after the company took steps to "to address the misuse of its technology that can undermine human rights."  The U.S. had placed Sandvine on the trade restriction list in February 2024 for allegedly helping the Egyptian government target human rights activists and politicians.  The company had been added "after its products were used to conduct mass web monitoring and censorship and target human rights activists and dissidents, including by enabling the misuse of commercial spyware," the Commerce Department said.