US Imposes Sanctions on Ten Individuals Linked to Hezbollah Funding

New York, August 21: The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed sanctions on ten individuals involved in facilitating cash transfers to Hezbollah.

According to OFAC, this network utilizes couriers traveling on commercial airline flights between Lebanon, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Iran. It is claimed that this network facilitates the transfer of hundreds of millions of dollars between various countries. This allows Hezbollah to acquire foreign currency outside the formal banking system and evade sanctions.

The U.S. Treasury Department stated, “OFAC has designated ten individuals who are part of a network delivering cash to Hezbollah. This network employs couriers traveling between Lebanon, Turkey, the UAE, and Iran, carrying hundreds of millions of dollars. This assists Hezbollah in obtaining foreign currency outside the formal financial system and evading sanctions.”

The department noted, “OFAC has re-designated Hezbollah as a sanctioned organization due to its services to the Iranian regime under the command of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF). Today’s action is taken under the modified Executive Order (EO) 13224 as part of America’s counter-terrorism powers.”

The department reminded that the U.S. State Department designated Hezbollah as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) under Executive Order 13224 on October 31, 2001. The U.S. claims that Hezbollah has engaged in terrorist activities or poses a serious threat of such activities that could jeopardize the safety of American citizens, national security, foreign policy, or the economy.

The Treasury Department indicated that Hezbollah and its affiliates employ various financial schemes to raise and transfer funds in the region. These activities include oil smuggling, illegal shipping, sales of goods, and large-scale cash trafficking.

According to the department, “The targeted network was previously linked to the late IRGC-QF finance officer Behnam Shahriyari. This network exemplifies the methods used to provide support to terrorist proxy organizations throughout the region.”

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