In a significant move, the United States has seized a Venezuelan-owned cargo jet that was connected to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The Boeing 747 plane had been grounded in Argentina since 2022 and was flown to the U.S. after new President Javier Milei expressed intentions of building closer ties with Washington.

The investigation into possible terrorism ties was initiated after the arrival of the plane in Argentina two years ago. The cargo jet, operated by Venezuela's state-owned Emtrasur cargo line, was sold to them by Iran's Mahan Air, which is blacklisted by the U.S. Treasury for alleged arms trafficking. The Justice Department believes that this transaction violated U.S. sanctions.

The U.S. assistant secretary of export enforcement, Matthew Axelrod, stated that Mahan Air's sale of the airplane to a Venezuelan cargo airline amounted to a violation of export restrictions. He also highlighted Mahan Air's known involvement in ferrying weapons and fighters for the IRGC and Hezbollah. As a result, the seized plane is now the property of the United States government.

In response to the seizure, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil condemned it as "shameless robbery" and described it as another criminal aggression against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. He vowed that Venezuela, as a free and sovereign nation, would provide a forceful and direct response to this attack.

The decision to hand over the plane was made by an Argentinian court, following the recent change in the Argentinian government and President Javier Milei's commitment to establishing strong ties with the United States and Israel.

The crew of 19 aboard the cargo jet consisted of Venezuelans and Iranians, including a pilot believed to be a high-ranking member of the IRGC. The five Iranian individuals on board claimed that they were training Venezuelans to fly the jet.

Venezuela has come under scrutiny for its alleged complicity in facilitating operations by Iranian and Hezbollah agents in the region. This is particularly pertinent in light of Iran's accused involvement in the 1992 Buenos Aires Israeli embassy bombing that claimed 30 lives and injured 242 people. Tehran is also held responsible for the 1994 bombing at a Jewish community center in Argentina's capital, which resulted in the deaths of 86 people and over 300 injuries. Argentina is home to Latin America's largest Jewish population of approximately 180,500 individuals.

As the seized cargo jet stands as evidence of potential illicit activities and connections, the United States aims to deter such activities and safeguard its own security interests in the region.