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The US Treasury on Tuesday imposed new sanctions on individuals and firms in Iran and Venezuela, accusing them of facilitating weapons transfers, including Iranian-made combat drones for Venezuela and procurement networks tied to Iran’s missile program.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said it was targeting ten individuals and entities linked to Iran’s unmanned aerial vehicle trade with Venezuela, as well as separate actors involved in sourcing missile-related chemicals for Iran’s defense industry.
Treasury said the measures build on earlier nonproliferation designations made in October and November, following the September 27 reimposition of United Nations sanctions on Iran.
Officials said Iran’s UAV and missile programs threaten US and allied personnel in the Middle East, destabilize commercial shipping in the Red Sea, and undermine US interests in the Western Hemisphere through arms transfers to Caracas.
“Treasury is holding Iran and Venezuela accountable for their aggressive and reckless proliferation of deadly weapons around the world,” said Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John K. Hurley.
An Iranian vice president on Tuesday defended Tehran’s ballistic missile capabilities as essential for deterrence, after the US president warned of further attacks if Iran moves to develop its missile program which was severely damaged in a June war.
"Iran must have missiles; without them, we would be defenseless. We must stand for Iran’s dignity," Vice-President for Executive Affairs Mohammad-Jafar Ghaempanah said.
Non-proliferation concerns
According to Treasury, the action was taken under Executive Orders 13382 and 13949, which target weapons of mass destruction proliferators and Iran’s conventional arms activities.
The designations were also linked to National Security Presidential Memorandum 2, which directs US agencies to curb Iran’s missile program and deny the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps access to financial resources.
OFAC designated three Iran-based individuals for efforts to procure chemicals used in ballistic missiles for Parchin Chemical Industries, an element of Iran’s Defense Industries Organization responsible for chemical imports and exports. Treasury said the materials sought included sodium perchlorate, sebacic acid and nitrocellulose, all used in solid-propellant rocket motors.
Treasury identified Mostafa Rostami Sani as a key figure in the procurement network, accusing him of sourcing large quantities of sodium perchlorate and acting as a liaison between foreign suppliers and Parchin Chemical Industries. Rostami Sani is the chairman of Pardisan Rezvan Shargh International Private Joint Stock Company, which was also designated. The company’s managing director, Reza Zarepour Taraghi, was sanctioned as well.
OFAC also expanded sanctions on Iran’s defense-linked technology sector, designating entities and individuals connected to Rayan Fan Kav Andish Co, a holding company tied to firms producing components and software for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ UAV and aerospace programs. Newly designated entities include Fanavari Electro Moj Mobin Company and Kavoshgaran Asman Moj Ghadir Company, along with executives Bahram Rezaei, Erfan Qaysari and Mehdi Ghaffari.
An Iranian vice president on Tuesday defended Tehran’s ballistic missile capabilities as essential for deterrence, after the US president warned of further attacks if Iran moves to develop its missile program which was severely damaged in a June war.
"Iran must have missiles; without them, we would be defenseless. We must stand for Iran’s dignity," Vice-President for Executive Affairs Mohammad-Jafar Ghaempanah said.
"If we are to bow our heads to whatever the United States says, then tomorrow we will have to answer to future generations."
Mohsen Rezaei, a former commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, wrote on his X account: “Iran’s missile and defense capability is neither negotiable, nor stoppable, nor containable.”
“In the event of any new adventurism, the will and capability of the armed forces to respond to the enemy and defend the Iranian nation will be very different from the past," Rezaei said, responding to Trump's threats.
Trump said on Monday he would support possible Israeli strikes on Iran if the Islamic Republic develops its ballistic missile or nuclear programs, warning Tehran against rebuilding military capabilities destroyed in Israeli and American airstrikes in June.
Speaking to reporters alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Florida, Trump said the United States will deal a heavy blow on Iran if it tries to recover from the US and Israeli strikes in June.
"I'm hearing that Iran is trying to recover—if that happens, we'll have to hit them hard," Trump added.
"If they will continue with the missiles, yes. The nuclear, fast. Okay? One will be yes, absolutely. The other was, we'll do it immediately," Trump said when asked if he would support Israel's strikes on Iran in case it further develops its ballistic missile and nuclear programs.
Ghaempanah said "no regime should have the power to threaten us."
"If our missiles had not been effective against Israel, they would certainly not have proposed a ceasefire," he said.
On June 13, Israel launched a surprise military offensive against Iran, followed by US strikes on June 22 that targeted key nuclear facilities in Isfahan, Natanz and Fordow.
The attacks killed several Iranian nuclear scientists as well as hundreds of military personnel and civilians. Iranian retaliatory strikes killed 32 Israeli civilians and one off-duty soldier.
The 12-day war ended with a ceasefire brokered by Donald Trump.
Security forces retreated as students at the University of Tehran moved toward the main gate chanting anti-leadership slogans on Tuesday, according to video shared by a student channel.
Footage published by the Telegram channel United Students showed groups of students chanting “death to the dictator” as they advanced toward the university’s main entrance.
Iranian reformist figure Behdad Nabavi said in an interview published Tuesday that reform means peaceful, legal change within the current system, while acknowledging that the process has become so difficult it could take decades.
In comments to Jamaran, Nabavi said reformism does not seek to overthrow the system or use illegal or violent methods.
“Reformism means changing the existing situation to a desirable one through a legal and peaceful path,” he said. “It does not want to overthrow the system.”
He said reformists aim to move the country toward what they define as a better outcome “within this same structure” and through “calm and legal” methods.
Nabavi added that he has concluded the reform path is now “very winding” and difficult, arguing that today’s young people have little tolerance for a gradual process.
“It may take 50 years,” he said, describing a slow legal route that, in his view, struggles to meet the urgency of public expectations.
Head of the Supreme Court of Iran, Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, said on Tuesday that authorities must listen to what he described as legitimate and lawful protests, acknowledging widespread economic pressure as demonstrations continued across Iran.
According to a statement published by the Supreme Court, Montazeri said officials should act with caution and address public grievances to prevent misuse of protests by hostile actors.
“Legitimate and lawful protests of the people must be heard,” he said.
