Polish state firm investigated over parts used in Iranian drones, Radio Zet reports

WARSAW (Reuters) – A Polish state-owned engineering company said on Thursday it was being investigated over the export of its parts to Iran, after a report that its pumps were adapted and used in Iranian combat drones.

Private broadcaster Radio Zet reported, without naming its sources, that the company WSK Poznan had sold pumps to Iranian motor-maker Motorsazan Company for use in tractors, but the parts had ended up in drones that Iran sent on to Russia.

Iran has supplied thousands of Shahed-136 “kamikaze” drones to Russia during its invasion of Ukraine launched in February 2022. They have been used to exhaust Ukrainian air defences and hit infrastructure far from the front lines.

WSK Poznan, which is owned by the Polish state’s Industrial Development Agency, said the National Prosecutor’s Office and the Internal Security Agency were “conducting an investigation into the export of parts manufactured by the company to Iran”.

It did not mention drones but it said in a statement that its pumps were not made to power aircraft due to their weight, and ran on diesel, not aviation fuel.

“The company has introduced internal control procedures for potential customers… Each time each potential contractor is thoroughly checked, the purpose of the ordered goods and then the sanctions in force at a given time are analysed,” it said.

“The current management board makes every effort to clarify the matter, declaring full openness to cooperation with the authorities conducting the proceedings and is taking the necessary actions to secure the future of the company,” it added.

The National Prosecutor’s Office said in an email that it was investigating whether WSK Poznan had exported dual-use products without the proper permits. It did not mention drones or Iran.

The office added that, as part of the ongoing investigation, the CEO of the company at the time had been charged with selling products of strategic importance without clearance and faced up to 10 years in prison.

Poland, a NATO member, has been one of Ukraine’s biggest supporters, both under the previous nationalist government and Donald Tusk’s current pro-European administration.

Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said during a press conference on Thursday that the government was working on implementing sanctions more thoroughly.

“The National Tax Administration, in cooperation with other services, has been carrying out intensive activities for several months to ensure that sanctions and embargoes are not circumvented,” he added.

Poland’s Internal Security Agency (ABW) referred questions to the prosecutor’s office. The State Assets Ministry did not immediately reply to Reuters’ requests for comments.