The U.S. Treasury announced on Tuesday that it has sanctioned ten individuals and firms in Iran and Venezuela for facilitating the sale of drones and ballistic‑missile technology to Tehran. The action includes a Venezuelan firm and its chairman, who are accused of buying Iranian drones, three Iranian nationals linked to the procurement of chemicals used for missile production, and a network of Iran‑based companies associated with the previously sanctioned Rayan Fan Group.
Treasury’s Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John K. Hurley told reporters, “Treasury is holding Iran and Venezuela accountable for their aggressive and reckless proliferation of deadly weapons around the world.” He added, “We will continue to take swift action to deprive those who enable Iran’s military‑industrial complex access to the U.S. financial system.”
State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott echoed the concern, saying, “Iran’s ongoing provision of conventional weapons to Caracas is a threat to U.S. interests in our region.”
The sanctions come as part of President Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign, which was re‑imposed in February to block Iran’s nuclear weapons development. Earlier this week, Trump warned Iran that further U.S. military strikes could follow if Tehran attempts to rebuild its nuclear program, a warning delivered during talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Florida. The Treasury measures support recently re‑imposed United Nations sanctions on Iran over its nuclear activities.