The US administration with Robert Gates as the new Defense Secretary has recently struck economic blows on 24 “targets.” The US State Department that regulates economic measures of influence decided to introduce sanctions against 24 legal entities and natural persons from ten countries. The list includes China, Iran, Iraq, Mexico, Malaysia, Syria, Pakistan, North Korea, Sudan and Russia. As for natural persons, sanctions were introduced against a Russian citizen Alexi Safonov, whose professional activities remain unknown.
Economic sanctions will affect three Russian enterprises. This time they have been introduced against the state-run arms export giant Rosoboronexport, Design Bureau of Instrument-Making (based in Tula) and the Design Bureau of Machine-Making (based in Kolomna). The three Russian defense enterprises are accused of violating US laws prohibiting arms sales to Iran and Syria – the countries, which the US administration categorizes as “axis of evil” supporting international terrorism.
The sanctions against the Russian companies were introduced on December 28, 2006. However, the official announcement about them was made only on January 5, 2007. The decree on the introduction of punitive measures was signed by Andrew Semmel, the US deputy assistant secretary for nuclear proliferation.
The sanctions were put into action for two years. Any departments of the US government are not allowed to cooperate with the Russian enterprises included on the black list, execute any operations, issue export licenses, etc. It is worth mentioning that the US administration practices economic sanctions against countries and/or organizations which deliver their arms to Iran or Syria. The practice was introduced on January 1, 1999 for Iran and on January 1, 2005 for Syria.
Russia signed a deal with Iran to deliver 29 missile complexes Top-M1. The contract, the cost of which is estimated at $1.4 billion has been executed by 50 percent already. Top-M1 anti-aircraft systems are made by defense holding Almaz-Antei which is based in the city of Izhevsk. The Design Bureau of Instrument-Making from Tula has never sold any weapons to either Iran or Syria, a spokesman for the company said. The Tula-based enterprise, which delivers weapons of high precision abroad, has no business contacts with the USA.
The Design Bureau of Machine-Making based in the city of Kolomna had a defense contract signed with Syria indeed. The enterprise delivered several Strelets anti-aircraft complexes to Syria. The contract was completed in February of 2006.