The US Treasury on Tuesday imposed new sanctions on individuals and firms in Iran and Venezuela, accusing them of facilitating weapons transfers, including Iranian-made combat drones for Venezuela and procurement networks tied to Iran’s missile program.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said it was targeting ten individuals and entities linked to Iran’s unmanned aerial vehicle trade with Venezuela, as well as separate actors involved in sourcing missile-related chemicals for Iran’s defense industry.
Treasury said the measures build on earlier nonproliferation designations made in October and November, following the September 27 reimposition of United Nations sanctions on Iran.
Officials said Iran’s UAV and missile programs threaten US and allied personnel in the Middle East, destabilize commercial shipping in the Red Sea, and undermine US interests in the Western Hemisphere through arms transfers to Caracas.
“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.
An Iranian vice president on Tuesday defended Tehran’s ballistic missile capabilities as essential for deterrence, after the US president warned of further attacks if Iran moves to develop its missile program which was severely damaged in a June war.
"Iran must have missiles; without them, we would be defenseless. We must stand for Iran’s dignity," Vice-President for Executive Affairs Mohammad-Jafar Ghaempanah said.
State Department warning
US State Department on Tuesday warned Tehran against what it called the expansion of its combat drone fleet and the continuation of procuring missile-related items in violation of UN restrictions.
“As President Trump has made clear in a National Security Presidential Memorandum, the United States will take action to curtail Iran’s ballistic missile program, counter Iran’s development of other asymmetric and conventional weapons capabilities, deny Iran a nuclear weapon, and deny the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) access to assets and resources that sustain their destabilizing activities,” the statement said. “We will not hesitate to hold accountable anyone who supports Tehran’s proliferation activities.”
Non-proliferation concerns
According to Treasury, the action was taken under Executive Orders 13382 and 13949, which target weapons of mass destruction proliferators and Iran’s conventional arms activities.
The designations were also linked to National Security Presidential Memorandum 2, which directs US agencies to curb Iran’s missile program and deny the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps access to financial resources.
OFAC designated three Iran-based individuals for efforts to procure chemicals used in ballistic missiles for Parchin Chemical Industries, an element of Iran’s Defense Industries Organization responsible for chemical imports and exports. Treasury said the materials sought included sodium perchlorate, sebacic acid and nitrocellulose, all used in solid-propellant rocket motors.
Treasury identified Mostafa Rostami Sani as a key figure in the procurement network, accusing him of sourcing large quantities of sodium perchlorate and acting as a liaison between foreign suppliers and Parchin Chemical Industries. Rostami Sani is the chairman of Pardisan Rezvan Shargh International Private Joint Stock Company, which was also designated. The company’s managing director, Reza Zarepour Taraghi, was sanctioned as well.
OFAC also expanded sanctions on Iran’s defense-linked technology sector, designating entities and individuals connected to Rayan Fan Kav Andish Co, a holding company tied to firms producing components and software for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ UAV and aerospace programs. Newly designated entities include Fanavari Electro Moj Mobin Company and Kavoshgaran Asman Moj Ghadir Company, along with executives Bahram Rezaei, Erfan Qaysari and Mehdi Ghaffari.
