The U.S. government has implemented new sanctions targeting the drone trade between Iran and Venezuela, intensifying its pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s regime. Announced by the U.S. Treasury Department, the sanctions focus on ten individuals and entities connected to the procurement of Iranian-designed drones and chemicals essential for ballistic missile production.
John Hurley, Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, stated that these actions are intended to hold both Iran and Venezuela accountable for their aggressive proliferation of dangerous weaponry globally. He emphasized the U.S. commitment to taking decisive measures to prevent those who support Iran’s military-industrial complex from accessing the U.S. financial system.
This latest round of sanctions coincides with escalated efforts by the Trump administration to undermine Maduro, who has openly accused the U.S. president of attempts at regime change. Earlier, Trump reported the destruction of a docking area used by alleged Venezuelan drug trafficking boats, marking a significant escalation in the military campaign against drug trafficking from Latin America.
The Treasury’s announcement notes that these sanctions align with previous nonproliferation designations and efforts to reinstate United Nations sanctions on Iran. The U.S. government highlighted concerns that Iran’s drone and missile programs pose a threat to American and allied personnel in the Middle East, alongside destabilizing commercial shipping in regions like the Red Sea.
Among those penalized is the Venezuelan company Empresa Aeronautica Nacional SA, whose chair has been identified for acquiring Iranian drones. A State Department spokesperson, Thomas Pigott, reiterated that Iran’s continuing provision of conventional weapons to Venezuela represents a direct threat to U.S. interests in the region. He also noted that the designated firm is implicated in significant financial transactions related to combat drone sales, demonstrating Iran’s ongoing violations of UN restrictions regarding missile-related items.
