Leaked documents reviewed by Spain's ABC describe a long-running financial and logistical partnership in which Venezuela allegedly redirected billions of dollars in oil revenues and state funds to Iran, helping sustain Tehran's nuclear program and allied military networks.
To back its claim, the outlet cited investigators and former Venezuelan officials who shared the material with U.S. prosecutors and the White House.
The documents, which ABC claims are now circulating in Washington, outline an architecture built over nearly two decades to help Iran evade international sanctions by using Venezuelan state institutions, including binational funds, public companies, shell banks and industrial projects with little or no real production.
U.S. authorities are examining the findings as they consider expanding charges against members of the so-called Cartel de los Soles, a group of senior Venezuelan officials designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the Trump administration in November 2025.
According to the sprawling report, projects and funds explicitly linked to Iran total about $4.69 billion, with an additional estimated $3.13 billion allegedly diverted indirectly from a China-Venezuela fund. The combined total—about $7.82 billion—represents money that investigators say reached Iran's state ecosystem directly or indirectly through Venezuela.
A former Venezuelan official cited in the report described a triangulation scheme involving China, Venezuela and Iran. Funds from Iranian oil sales to China, frozen by sanctions, were allegedly routed through Venezuela under the guise of loans that did not function as conventional financing.
The report concludes that a portion of Venezuelan oil income, including Chinese credit lines, was redirected to Iranian state firms and entities linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, contributing to Iran's nuclear program and its network of armed allies.
The documents also allege that Venezuela served as a platform for Iranian influence in Latin America, including financial channels tied to Hezbollah and Hamas. They reference earlier intelligence from around 2012 identifying senior Venezuelan figures, including Hugo "El Pollo" Carvajal and Clíver Alcalá, as key nodes in the network. Both men have since been extradited to the United States and are cooperating with prosecutors.
The findings emerge as Iran and Venezuela publicly reinforce their alliance. On December 10, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian pledged "unconditional" support to President Nicolás Maduro, condemning U.S. military actions in the Caribbean as "hostile provocations," according to Venezuela's Foreign Ministry.
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado warned in November that "Iran has turned Venezuela into its satellite operating from the heart of the Americas," alleging drone production, money laundering and passport fraud tied to Iranian operatives.
The ABC report cites no verified evidence of uranium shipments but notes allegations that Iran identified potential uranium deposits in southern Venezuela, which, if accessible, could offer Tehran a sensitive strategic option.
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