China’s Top Drone Manufacturer Sells Tech to Iran, Watchdog Says

US Sanctions Threaten China’s Da-Jiang Innovations Science & Technology Co. for Selling Drone Tech to Iran

A watchdog group claims that China’s top drone manufacturer, Da-Jiang Innovations Science & Technology Co. (DJI) has been offering technology and components to Iran. This suggests that the Chinese Communist Party might be more involved in the drone manufacturing process in Tehran than it had previously let on. DJI is a drone technology leader globally, with a significant North American presence, making it ripe for being subject to U.S. sanctions. United Against a Nuclear Iran (UANI), a research and advocacy group, discovered that DJI products were being marketed in Iran.

According to a letter sent on March 28 by UANI to DJI’s North American office in Los Angeles, there are “multiple and explicit examples of DJI products being sold in Iran.” There are three Farsi-language websites, including DJI Tehran, Pro-DJI, and DJI Land, all having DJI’s logo and advertising drone equipment apparently manufactured by the Chinese company. All three sites remain active as of writing. The Iranian military drones used in Ukraine and Yemen have Chinese-made parts installed on them, probably due to DJI’s presence in the Iranian market. The State Department is trying to crack down on Iranian drone procurement networks as Iran has been caught supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The evidence discovered could lead to DJI facing U.S. sanctions; the company is already under U.S. sanctions for aiding China’s Communist government in spying on the Uyghur community. DJI denies the allegations that it is selling products in Iran, stating that it does not operate in sanctioned countries. Meanwhile, UANI contends that DJI is advertising its products in Iran due to the Biden Administration’s failure to enforce sanctions during the past couple of years.  

“China is not anxious since Washington hasn’t taken any action over the past two years while Beijing has been transferring billions to Iran for discounted oil and supporting the regime with surveillance and drone technology,” said Daniel Roth, UANI’s research director.

UANI alleges that two other Chinese companies, CUAB Tech Inc. Ltd. and Beijing MicroPilot UAV Flight Control Systems, are also selling components for Iran’s military drone program. Furthermore, the US has authorized several new sanctions on Iranian drone networks, including over ten tied to China. For example, in March, a Chinese national and four other entities were sanctioned for “selling and shipping components to the Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company (HESA), which itself was sanctioned in 2008,” according to the State Department given to The Free Beacon. The Biden administration is working towards disrupting Iran’s efforts to provide Russia with drones for use in Ukraine.