The US Department of State on Wednesday designated two individuals and one entity for involvement in efforts to help Iran obtain man-portable air defence systems, or MANPADS. All three were designated under Executive Order 13949, which covers conventional arms activity involving Iran.
Mohammed Ali Tolibov, chief executive of the Belarus-based intermediary Armory Alliance, was designated for his role in the company’s efforts to procure weapons for Iran, including facilitating the purchase of hundreds of MANPADS from China-based companies. Vanguard Tactical Supply Limited, a Nigeria-based entity, was designated over efforts to procure Chinese-origin MANPADS for Iran through false end users, and Alisher Domulodzhonhanov, based in Russia, was designated for facilitating MANPADS procurement for Iran.
The department said the action continues a campaign that included designations on May 8, June 10 and July 15, 2026, and supports enforcement of the United Nations arms embargo on Iran restored in September 2025. Property of the designated parties within US jurisdiction is blocked and must be reported to the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.