The U.S. Sanctions a Network Linked to the Quds Force's Oil Sales

The Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury has sanctioned 26 individuals, companies, and vessels belonging to Hossam Qatarchi, a Syrian businessman involved in transferring funds from the Quds Force's illicit oil sales to China and Syria, and financing the Houthis. According to the report published on Thursday, November 24, on the Treasury's website, Qatarchi's company, previously sanctioned for facilitating fuel sales between the Syrian regime and ISIS, has become one of the main channels for generating revenue and financing regional proxy groups of the IRGC's Quds Force. Bradley T. Smith, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, stated, "Iran increasingly relies on key business partners like Qatarchi's company to finance its destabilizing activities and terrorist proxy networks across the region." Bara Qatarchi, along with his brothers Hossam and Mohammad Aqa, is part of a small circle of traders close to the Assad family who gained prominence during the Syrian civil war that began 13 years ago. Bara Qatarchi was killed in an Israeli attack in July of this year, but Hossam continues to oversee the family's business network. Mohammad Aqa was also added to the U.S. sanctions list on Wednesday. Among the sanctioned companies linked to the Qatarchi holding are two Iranian companies, "Amitis Kish Island" and "Moshtagh Tejarat San'at," along with three oil tankers flying the Iranian flag. The scope of activities of the sanctioned companies of the Qatarchi holding extends from India to the UAE, the Marshall Islands, Syria, Lebanon, Iran, and even the smallest African country, Seychelles. The imposition of new sanctions against companies linked to this Syrian holding comes just days after U.S. airstrikes targeted positions of Iranian proxy groups in Syria, coinciding with the visit of Ali Larijani, advisor to Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, to Damascus. The U.S. Central Command, CENTCOM, announced on Monday evening, November 21, that it had conducted airstrikes on nine targets in two locations belonging to Iran-linked groups in Syrian territory. According to CENTCOM, these attacks were a response to multiple attacks in the past 24 hours against U.S. forces in Syria. Concurrently with Larijani's presence in Damascus, Israel bombed several locations in the Syrian capital, resulting in at least 15 deaths. The Jamaran news site also reported on Wednesday that "a building near the location of Ali Larijani's meeting with the head of the Syrian National Security Council was hit by three missiles a few moments ago." The site added that "Ali Larijani is in perfect health."