The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has announced new sanctions targeting 10 individuals and entities in Venezuela and Iran, including a Venezuelan company involved in the trade of Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with Venezuela.
“Treasury is holding Iran and Venezuela accountable for their aggressive and reckless proliferation of deadly weapons around the world,” said Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John K. Hurley. “We will continue to take swift action to deprive those who enable Iran’s military-industrial complex access to the U.S. financial system.”
This move follows previous nonproliferation actions taken by the Treasury in October and November, which supported the reimposition of United Nations sanctions on Iran on September 27, 2025. The Treasury cited concerns that Iran’s UAV and missile programs threaten U.S. personnel in the Middle East and disrupt commercial shipping in regions such as the Red Sea. Additionally, it stated that arms transfers from Iran to Caracas pose risks to U.S. interests in the Western Hemisphere.
The sanctions are part of efforts under National Security Presidential Memorandum 2, which directs federal agencies to counter Iran’s ballistic missile program, prevent its development of advanced weapons capabilities, deny it nuclear weapons, and restrict resources for groups like the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). OFAC is acting under Executive Orders 13382 and 13949, both aimed at curbing weapons proliferation activities.
Among those designated is Empresa Aeronautica Nacional SA (EANSA), a Venezuelan company responsible for assembling Iranian-designed Mohajer-series UAVs locally branded as ANSU-series drones. EANSA negotiated directly with Qods Aviation Industries (QAI), an Iranian defense manufacturer previously sanctioned by OFAC for ties to Iran’s Ministry of Defense. EANSA also maintains UAVs used by Venezuela's armed forces, including models capable of deploying Iranian-designed guided bombs.
Jose Jesus Urdaneta Gonzalez, chair of EANSA, was named among those sanctioned for coordinating drone production with Venezuelan and Iranian military representatives.
In addition to targeting drone-related activity, OFAC sanctioned three individuals based in Iran connected with procurement efforts for Parchin Chemical Industries (PCI), which supplies chemicals used in ballistic missiles such as sodium perchlorate—used in solid rocket motors—and other materials relevant to missile production. These actions build on earlier designations against PCI and its parent organization under United Nations Security Council resolutions imposing asset freezes.
Further designations were made against members linked to Rayan Fan Kav Andish Co (Rayan Fan Group), an Iranian technology conglomerate associated with supplying components for IRGC drone programs. Several affiliated companies and board members were included due to their roles supporting these activities.
As a result of these measures, all property belonging to designated persons within U.S. jurisdiction is blocked, along with any entities majority-owned by them. Transactions involving these parties are generally prohibited unless authorized by OFAC or exempted; violations may lead to civil or criminal penalties for both U.S. and foreign persons involved.
OFAC noted that foreign financial institutions could face secondary sanctions if they knowingly facilitate significant transactions involving designated parties.
The agency emphasized that its sanctioning authority aims not only at punishment but also at encouraging changes in behavior: “The ultimate goal of sanctions is not to punish, but to bring about a positive change in behavior.” Guidance on removal from OFAC lists can be found through official channels.
