The U.S. Treasury Department took aim at weapons trading between Iran and Venezuela, announcing sanctions on Tuesday against 10 targets involved in the sale, import and procurement of drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles.
“Treasury is holding Iran and Venezuela accountable for their aggressive and reckless proliferation of deadly weapons around the world,” stated John Hurley, U.S. treasury under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence.
“We will continue to take swift action to deprive those who enable Iran’s military-industrial complex access to the U.S. financial system,” he said.
The department designated Qods Aviation Industries and its chair. The Venezuelan company helps import Iranian-designed drones in coordination with Iran’s previously sanctioned defense and armed forces logistics ministry, the Treasury Department said.
Empresa Aeronautica Nacional SA of Venezuela and its chair were also designated on Tuesday. The department said that the company coordinates and negotiates the import and assembly of Iranian drones manufactured by QAI.
That includes maintenance of Iranian-made drones operated by the Venezuelan armed forces, those capable of launching air-to-ground guided bombs.
Three Iran-based people were also sanctioned in connection with efforts to procure chemicals used for ballistic missiles on behalf of Parchin Chemical Industries, which works within Iran’s defense industries structure.
Several other Iranian chemical companies were sanctioned for manufacturing chemicals used in weapons, the U.S. government said.
“Iran’s ongoing provision of conventional weapons to Caracas is a threat to U.S. interests in our region,” stated Tommy Pigott, U.S. State Department principal deputy spokesman.
“The entities and individuals designated today demonstrate Iran is actively proliferating its combat UAVs and continues to procure missile-related items in violation of U.N. restrictions,” he said.
