U.S. sanctions Iranian, Venezuelan groups tied to weapons trade

Published Tue, Dec 30 2025

1:02 PM EST

Justin Papp @in/justin-papp @justinjpapp1 WATCH LIVE

Key Points

The U.S. on Tuesday slapped sanctions on individuals and entities allegedly involved in the weapons trade between Iran and Venezuela.
President Donald Trump has threatened potential military action against Iran if the country seeks to rebuild its weapons programs.
Trump has for months put pressure on Venezuela and confirmed this week that the U.S. conducted a land strike on the country.

A satellite image shows the Skipper, a very large crude carrier and the first Venezuela-related vessel seized by the U.S. on December 10, near the shoreline of Galveston, Texas, U.S., December 21, 2025.

Vantor | Via Reuters

The U.S. on Tuesday announced sanctions on a group of 10 individuals and entities based in Iran and Venezuela that are allegedly linked to the weapons trade between the two countries.

Those targeted include a Venezuelan company, Empresa Aeronautica Nacional, which is allegedly linked to millions of dollars of Iranian drone sales to Venezuela. The sanctions also target three Iran-based individuals who are allegedly part of an effort to procure chemicals used for ballistic missiles, according to the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control.

"Iran's ongoing provision of conventional weapons to Caracas constitutes a threat to U.S. interests in the Western Hemisphere, including the Homeland, and the United States will use all available measures to prevent this trade," the Treasury Department said in a statement.

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The sanctions come a day after President Donald Trump threatened to "knock the hell" out of Iran if the country seeks to build up its ballistic missile reserves or reestablish its nuclear weapons program.

Iranian military sites and weapons programs were damaged earlier this year by attacks carried out by Israel and the U.S.

Trump, ahead of a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Monday, also said he would support Israeli strikes on Iran in the event of rearmament.

"The response of the Islamic Republic of Iran to any oppressive aggression will be harsh and regrettable," Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian posted to X on Tuesday.

Trump has also taken an aggressive stance toward Venezuela of late, targeting alleged drug boats, ordering a complete blockade of sanctioned oil tankers moving in and out of the country, and designating the country's government a "foreign terrorist organization."

Earlier this month, the Trump administration said the U.S. had seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. The seized tanker had been sanctioned by the U.S. for years and transported oil from Iran and Venezuela, according to a post from Attorney General Pam Bondi.

And at the meeting on Monday with Netanyahu, Trump also confirmed an attack on an alleged drug loading facility on Venezuelan soil. CNN reported that the attack was carried out earlier this month by the CIA.

Tuesday's sanctions follow similar efforts in October and November to target individuals and entities operating in or involved with Iranian weapons networks.

"Treasury is holding Iran and Venezuela accountable for their aggressive and reckless proliferation of deadly weapons around the world,"Â John K. Hurley, Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, said in a statement.

"We will continue to take swift action to deprive those who enable Iran's military-industrial complex access to the U.S. financial system," he said.

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