The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions on Tuesday against various individuals and entities linked to the arms trade between Iran and Venezuela.
According to OFAC, Iran’s ongoing arms shipments to Venezuela pose a risk to U.S. interests in the Western Hemisphere, and the U.S. is committed to curbing this trade.
These sanctions stem from President Trump’s presidential memorandum issued in February concerning national security, aiming to apply maximum pressure on Iran’s regime and to obstruct its path to nuclear weapons.
One of the sanctioned entities is Empresa Aeronautica Nacional SA (EANSA), which is involved in overseeing the assembly of Iran’s Qods Aviation Industries (QAI) Mohajer series drones in Venezuela, contributing to substantial sales of drones to the country.
EANSA’s president, José Jesús Urdaneta González, has also been sanctioned for facilitating communications between the Iranian and Venezuelan militaries regarding drone production.
John K. Hawley, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, stated, “The Treasury Department is holding Iran and Venezuela accountable for their reckless proliferation of dangerous weapons worldwide.”
He further emphasized, “We will continue to take swift action to bar those who support Iran’s military-industrial complex from accessing the U.S. financial system.”
OFAC noted that the Mohajer drones maintained by EANSA are marketed in Venezuela as “Arpia” or “ANSU series,” with the ANSU-100 being a newer armed variant that can utilize Iranian-designed Qaam air-to-ground guided bombs.
Additionally, the sanctions also targeted three individuals from Iran involved in processing chemicals for ballistic missiles through Parchin Chemical Industries, part of Iran’s Defense Industries Organization.
U.S. State Department Chief Spokesman Thomas Piggott remarked on the importance of reinstating sanctions in line with United Nations Security Council resolutions, highlighting that the individuals and entities mentioned are indicative of Iran’s efforts to proliferate combat drones and acquire missile-related materials contrary to U.N. restrictions.
Piggott added, “As President Trump emphasized in National Security Presidential Memorandum 2 (NSPM-2), the U.S. is focused on reducing Iran’s ballistic missile program and countering its development of various weapons while denying access to resources enabling destabilizing actions. We won’t hesitate to hold accountable those aiding Tehran’s proliferation.”
