“Material Support” Risk

The regime's repression would not be possible without technology and equipment provided by Western and Asian firms. Whether it is telecommunications technology misused to restrict and monitor internet and cellphone communication, motorbikes ridden by the basij to terrorize civilians, or construction cranes used to hang dissidents, foreign firms providing such equipment have become willing partners in the regime’s ruthless human rights abuses.

Since Summer 2022, when the U.S. warned that Iran was providing drones to Russian forces occupying Ukraine, components from dozens of Western companies have been found in Iranian drones, resulting in multiple fatalities and widespread destruction. Similarly, multinational firms have proved complicit in the surveillance and suppression of anti-regime protesters during regular nationwide protests, including demonstrations from late 2022 that started with the death of Mahsa Amini at the hands of Tehran police authorities.