The Week in Review: June 9th – June 16th

June 16 – A drone which was made in Iran and shot down in Ukraine last month, contained a part manufactured in China, according to an investigation carried out by the UK-based weapons watchdog Conflict Armament Research.

The finding suggests that efforts by the United States to curb the flow of parts used in Iran’s drone production from around the world have not been effective.

The group also raised concerns about the speed at which Iran had been able to construct its drones, and ship them to Russia for its illegal invasion of Ukraine.

The US confirmed that it had allowed Iraq to unfreeze $2.7 billion it owed to Iran, this week.

A spokesperson for the US State Department said the transaction is not in violation of current US sanctions on Iran, and would only be used for humanitarian purposes.

However analysts have raised concerns about the difficulty in monitoring the funds, which they say could be used to evade sanctions and fuel corruption in the country.

And a new bill submitted to Iran’s Parliament could punish women who reveal their hair, by denying them access to banks and public transport, and sending them to prison.

Women in Iran who have chosen not to wear their veils in public have been subjected to rising incidents of harassment and assaults, including objects being thrown at them.

The United Nations has repeatedly condemned the forced wearing of the hijab in Iran, calling it “gender-based persecution.”