The U.S. Imposes New Sanctions on Financial Network Linked to the IRGC

On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned six entities, one individual, and two oil tankers, describing it as "another step in a coordinated campaign to disrupt the financial operations of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its support for proxy terrorist groups like the Houthis." These individuals, entities, and oil tankers are based or registered in Liberia, India, Vietnam, Lebanon, and Kuwait. The Treasury Department's statement indicates that they have facilitated the transportation of goods and financial transactions for the IRGC's Quds Force, the Houthis in Yemen, and Hezbollah in Lebanon. The statement also notes that Tuesday's sanctions mark the sixth round of sanctions against the "financial facilitation network of the Houthis" known as Saad al-Jamal since December 2023. According to the anti-extremism website, Saad al-Jamal is a Yemeni citizen born on January 1, 1979. The U.S. claims that Saad al-Jamal's network is based in Iran. Despite extensive financial, military, and intelligence support for armed groups in the Middle East and the deployment of forces to various regions to support these groups, the Islamic Republic claims it does not have proxy groups. Brian Nelson, the Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, stated in Tuesday's announcement that the U.S. Treasury is committed to using its tools against those seeking to finance the illegal activities of the IRGC and its destabilizing proxy groups. Among the actions attributed to Saad al-Jamal's network is the use of forged documents to transport Iranian goods to China. The U.S. has sanctioned several logistical networks of the IRGC and "Tasa." The United States sanctioned seven individuals and entities for allegedly smuggling American technology to Iran's central bank. The U.S. requested Panama to completely prevent the "convenient" use of Iranian ships under its flag. Senator Marsha Blackburn urged the International Olympic Committee to exclude the Islamic Republic from the 2024 competitions due to human rights violations. The U.S., in cooperation with Bahrain, sanctioned elements of the "Al-Hashd Al-Shaabi" in Iran. The expulsion of the second Iranian government official from Canada; Salman Samani was convicted in court like Majid Iranmanesh.