The United States has added 26 new entities to its trade blacklist, citing their alleged support for weapons and drone development in Pakistan and Iran, as well as their assistance to Russia's military efforts in Ukraine.

Most of the newly targeted entities are located in Pakistan, China, and the United Arab Emirates, with accusations of violating export controls and evading U.S. sanctions.

Among those added to the list are three entities from the UAE and one from Egypt, which attempted to acquire U.S. components to circumvent sanctions imposed after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Additionally, six Chinese entities were included for allegedly procuring U.S.-origin items to support military modernization efforts in China and Iran.

Nine entities in Pakistan were identified as front companies for the Advanced Engineering Research Organization, which has been procuring U.S.-origin items since 2010.

These Pakistani entities reportedly concealed their end users connected to the country's cruise missile and strategic drone programs.

Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Alan Estevez emphasized the U.S. commitment to national security and warned that violators of these restrictions will face consequences.

Being added to the 'entity list' prohibits these targets from acquiring U.S. items and technologies without government approval.

In a related development, the U.S. Commerce Department has removed Canada-based Sandvine from its trade restriction list after the company improved its corporate governance and business practices.

Sandvine was previously blacklisted for allegedly supplying tools used for mass web monitoring and censorship in Egypt, impacting human rights activists.

Commerce official Matthew Borman highlighted Sandvine's delisting as an example of how the Entity List can influence corporate behavior towards human rights.

Notable companies already on the entity list include Chinese firms Huawei and ZTE, showcasing the U.S. government's ongoing efforts to restrict technology access to adversarial nations.