The United States has imposed sanctions on Alisher Domullodzhanov, a native of Dushanbe whom the State Department accuses of involvement in Iran’s efforts to obtain man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS).
The November 4 designation falls under Executive Order 13949, which targets individuals and companies involved in Iran’s conventional arms trade. The State Department identified Domullodzhanov as based in Russia but gave no details of his alleged role.
According to the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), Domullodzhanov was born on November 29, 1989, and is a national of both Tajikistan and Russia. His sanctions listing also gives his full name, Alisher Hairulloevich Domullodzhanov, and an address in Ramensky District in the Moscow region.
Washington also applied the order to Mohammed Ali Tolibov, chief executive of the Belarus-based company Armory Alliance LLC, and Vanguard Tactical Supply Limited, a Nigeria-based company. Both were already under U.S. sanctions.
The State Department said Armory Alliance sought to broker the purchase of hundreds of MANPADS from companies in China for buyers in Iran. The department accused Vanguard of trying to obtain Chinese-made missiles for Iran by falsely identifying their intended recipients.
These portable surface-to-air missiles are designed to strike low-flying aircraft, including helicopters. A single person can operate them, and their proliferation poses a threat to civilian aviation.
The November measures followed U.S. sanctions on May 8, June 10, and July 15, 2026, targeting alleged Iranian military procurement networks. Washington said the latest designations also support enforcement of the arms restrictions restored when the United Nations Security Council reimposed sanctions on Iran in September 2025.
Under OFAC’s asset-blocking rules, the designated parties’ property and interests in property are blocked if they are in the United States or in the possession or control of a U.S. person. U.S. persons are generally prohibited from doing business with those listed. The restrictions also apply to any entity in which one or more blocked parties hold a combined ownership stake of at least 50%, directly or indirectly.
