Iran and Venezuela's Drone Deal: US Steps In

The United States recently took action against a group of people and companies from Iran and Venezuela. These individuals and organizations are accused of helping each other with military technology. This includes making and using combat drones in Venezuela. The U. S. Treasury Department announced new sanctions. These target 10 people and companies involved in the military partnership between Iran and Venezuela. The focus is on companies making Iranian-designed drones and those supplying materials for Iran's missile program. One key company is Empresa Aeronáutica Nacional S. A. (EANSA) in Venezuela. U. S. officials say EANSA works with Iran's Qods Aviation Industries to build and maintain Iranian drones in Venezuela. These drones, called Mohajer-series, are rebranded as ANSU series in Venezuela. The Mohajer-6 drone is one of the models mentioned. It can do surveillance and precision strikes. U. S. officials say Venezuela's military uses these drones. This shows Iran's growing military presence in the Western Hemisphere. José Jesús Urdaneta González, the chairman of EANSA, was also sanctioned. He is accused of coordinating with Iranian and Venezuelan defense officials. Treasury officials say EANSA oversaw the assembly of Mohajer-2 and Mohajer-6 drones at Venezuelan facilities, including El Libertador Air Base. The sanctions are part of a broader U. S. effort. They aim to disrupt Iran's global weapons supply chains. This also includes curbing Tehran's reliance on proxy networks and foreign partners to evade international restrictions. The U. S. is also increasing pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The U. S. accuses Maduro's regime of running a network involved in large-scale drug trafficking. The U. S. has offered a reward of up to $50 million for information leading to Maduro's arrest. The Treasury Department said the latest sanctions also target an Iranian procurement network. This network is accused of sourcing materials for Iran's ballistic missile program. The materials include sodium perchlorate, ammonium perchlorate precursors, and nitrocellulose. These are key components in solid-fuel rocket motors.Several additional companies tied to Iran's defense sector were also designated. These include Pardisan Rezvan Shargh, Fanavari Electro Moj Mobin, and Kavoshgaran Asman Moj Ghadir. Treasury officials say these firms played critical roles in supplying components and technical expertise to Iran's missile and drone programs. The measures were imposed under executive orders. These target weapons of mass destruction proliferators and entities involved in Iran's conventional arms trade. As a result, all property and interests of the designated parties under U. S. jurisdiction are frozen. U. S. persons are generally barred from doing business with them. Foreign financial institutions that knowingly facilitate significant transactions risk secondary sanctions. The partnership between Iran and Venezuela dates back over a decade. In 2012, then-President Hugo Chávez unveiled Venezuela's first domestically produced drones. He presented them as symbols of technological sovereignty. Later, it became known that Iran played a significant role in supplying technology, training, and components. That cooperation deepened over time. Iranian technicians helped establish production lines in Venezuela. The program gradually expanded from surveillance drones to armed platforms. After a 2018 drone attack targeting Maduro, the Venezuelan government accelerated investment in unmanned systems. They cited security concerns. In recent years, Venezuela has unveiled armed drones such as the ANSU-100 and experimental stealth variants. This makes Venezuela the first country in Latin America to field indigenous armed UAVs. U. S. officials say the developments have raised alarms. They worry that Iranian technology could be transferred to allied governments or non-state actors in the region. The issue has taken on added urgency as the United States increases its naval presence in the Caribbean. This is officially for counternarcotics operations. Meanwhile, Venezuela conducts military exercises and drone patrols. Washington views the growing Iranian footprint in the region as a strategic challenge. It has implications far beyond bilateral tensions.