OFAC sanctions 10 linked to Iran-Venezuela weapons trade

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control designated 10 individuals and entities based in Venezuela and Iran in an action Treasury said targets the Iran-Venezuela weapons trade.

Treasury said the action includes a Venezuelan company and its chair that it said acquired Iranian-designed unmanned aerial vehicles. Treasury said Iran and Venezuela have coordinated since 2006 on Iran’s provision of Qods Aviation Industries Mohajer-series UAVs for Venezuela, which Treasury said are rebranded in Venezuela as ANSU-series UAVs.

Treasury also said OFAC designated three Iran-based persons in connection with efforts to procure chemicals used for ballistic missiles for Parchin Chemical Industries, which Treasury described as an element of Iran’s Defense Industries Organization responsible for the import and export of chemical goods. Treasury cited sodium perchlorate, sebacic acid and nitrocellulose.

Treasury said the action was taken pursuant to Executive Order 13382 and Executive Order 13949.

OFAC’s SDN List update accompanying the action lists the following additions tied to the Iran-related action: Empresa Aeronautica Nacional SA (EANSA); Fanavari Electro Moj Mobin Company; Kavoshgaran Asman Moj Ghadir Company; Pardisan Rezvan Shargh International Private Joint Stock Company; and the individuals Mehdi Ghaffari, Erfan Qaysari, Bahram Rezaei, Mostafa Rostami Sani, Jose Jesus Urdaneta Gonzalez, and Reza Zarepour Taraghi.

In a separate set of changes in the same OFAC “Recent Actions” update, OFAC also removed several individuals under Russia-related and cyber-related programs, according to the SDN List update.