The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced sweeping new sanctions Tuesday aimed at dismantling a growing Iran-Venezuela weapons pipeline tied to combat drones, missile components and advanced military technology.
The action, carried out by the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), targets 10 individuals and entities based in Iran and Venezuela accused of fueling Tehran's global weapons proliferation.
Treasury officials say the sanctions focus heavily on Iran's export of armed drones to Venezuela, a development Washington warns poses a direct threat to U.S. interests in the Western Hemisphere.
"Treasury is holding Iran and Venezuela accountable for their aggressive and reckless proliferation of deadly weapons around the world," said John K. Hurley, Treasury's under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence.
Hurley said the U.S. will continue using its financial power to choke off Iran's military-industrial network and those who help it operate.
At the center of the action is Empresa Aeronautica Nacional S.A. (EANSA), a Venezuelan aerospace company that helped facilitate Iran's drone sales to the Maduro regime.
Treasury officials say EANSA worked closely with Qods Aviation Industries (QAI), an Iranian defense manufacturer tied to Tehran's Ministry of Defense.
Since 2006, Iran and Venezuela have cooperated on the transfer of Mohajer-series unmanned aerial vehicles, which Venezuela rebranded as ANSU-series drones.
The drones include the Mohajer-6, a combat-capable UAV designed for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and armed strikes.
Treasury says EANSA helped negotiate deals worth millions of dollars, oversaw assembly and maintained Iranian-made drones used by Venezuela's armed forces.
One of those systems, the ANSU-100, is capable of launching Iranian-designed air-to-ground guided bombs, raising concerns about regional stability.
Treasury also sanctioned Jose Jesus Urdaneta Gonzalez, EANSA's chairman, for coordinating drone production with Iranian and Venezuelan military officials.
Officials warned that Iran's growing weapons footprint in Latin America threatens U.S. national security, including risks closer to the homeland.
Beyond drones, Treasury also targeted Iran's ballistic missile supply chain, sanctioning individuals tied to the procurement of sensitive missile-related chemicals.
Those materials include sodium perchlorate, sebacic acid and nitrocellulose, all critical components used in solid-fuel rocket motors.
Among those designated is Mostafa Rostami Sani, who Treasury says procured large quantities of missile chemicals for Parchin Chemical Industries, a key arm of Iran's Defense Industries Organization.
Parchin Chemical Industries has been under U.S. and U.N. sanctions for years due to its role in Iran's missile program.
Treasury also sanctioned Pardisan Rezvan Shargh International, an Iranian trading company linked to those procurement efforts, along with senior executives involved.
The action further targets Iran's high-tech defense sector, including companies connected to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
OFAC designated entities and individuals tied to Rayan Fan Kav Andish Co., a defense conglomerate whose subsidiaries produced components and software for Iran's drone and aerospace programs.
Treasury officials said the sanctions support National Security Presidential Memorandum 2, which directs the U.S. government to curb Iran's missile and weapons development.
The policy aims to deny Iran a nuclear weapon and block resources that sustain the IRGC's destabilizing activities worldwide.
As a result of the designations, all U.S.-based assets of the sanctioned individuals and entities are frozen.
U.S. persons are generally prohibited from doing business with them, and foreign financial institutions that do so risk secondary sanctions.
Treasury emphasized that sanctions violations can result in serious civil or criminal penalties under U.S. law.
Officials said the ultimate goal is to force behavioral change, not simply punish wrongdoing.
The action underscores Washington's continued effort to counter Iran's expanding global weapons network and its deepening military cooperation with authoritarian regimes like Venezuela.
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