Tel Aviv: The US State Department is offering up to $15 million for information that could disrupt financial networks supporting a drone-production arm of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) elite Quds Force.
The company is identified as Kimia Part Sivan Company (KIPAS).
“KIPAS officials have conducted unmanned aerial vehicle flight tests for the IRGC-Quds Force and have provided technical assistance for IRGC-QF UAVs transferred to Iraq for use in IRGC-QF operations,” the state department rewards for justice program said in its announcement on March 10.
The company has also sourced key drone components from foreign suppliers, according to US officials.
Israeli sources said that Iran is operating a net of “Straw” companies to get the needed components for its booming UAV industry.
The IRGC has provided funding and weapons to groups outside Iran, including Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis in Yemen and militias in Iraq. The US Treasury has linked the IRGC’s drone sales, including to Russia, to broader Iranian military financing.
In April, Washington sanctioned six senior KIPAS officials—for acting on behalf of the IRGC-QF.
The US Treasury had previously blacklisted KIPAS in 2021 for its role in supplying drones.
Under the sanctions, all assets linked to KIPAS and its designated officials within US jurisdiction are frozen. Financial institutions engaging with them could also face penalties.
According to the Iran International website, operated from London by the opposition to the regime in Tehran, the Trump administration listed the IRGC as a terrorist organisation as part of his ‘maximum pressure’ after he withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018.
-The writer is an Israel-based freelance journalist. The views expressed are of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
