Overview
- The Treasury and State Departments designated ten individuals and entities on December 30 under Executive Orders 13382 and 13949 for supporting Iran’s UAV and ballistic missile programs.
- Venezuelan firm Empresa Aeronautica Nacional SA and its chairman, José Jesus Urdaneta Gonzalez, were cited for acquiring and assembling Iranian-designed drones from Qods Aviation Industries.
- Three Iran-based individuals tied to efforts to procure chemicals used for ballistic missiles were sanctioned, alongside Iran-based firms connected to the previously designated Rayan Fan Group.
- The measures freeze U.S.-connected assets, prohibit U.S. persons from transactions with the targets, and warn foreign institutions of potential secondary sanctions.
- U.S. officials called Iran’s weapons provision to Caracas a regional threat, placing the action within a broader pressure campaign that has included tanker seizures and a confirmed land strike in Venezuela this month.