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OFAC sanctions Iranian bank officials, Iraqi bank, and others for moving millions of dollars to Hizballah

On May 15, U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced it was imposing sanctions on the governor and a senior official of the Central Bank of Iran, an Iraqi bank and its chairman, and a key Hizballah official, for allegedly funneling millions of dollars on behalf of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) to Hizballah. Pursuant to Executive Order 13224, which “provides a means by which to disrupt the financial support network for terrorists and terrorist organizations by authorizing the U.S. government to designate and block the assets of foreign individuals and entities that commit, or pose a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism,” the individuals and entities were designated as Specially Designated Global Terrorists. The actions, which follow a May 10 action taken against individuals and entities who materially assisted in the conversion of millions of U.S. dollars to fund IRGC-QF’s malignant activities, “seek to stifle Iran’s ability to abuse the U.S. and regional financial systems.”

However, OFAC clarified that sanctions on the officials of the Central Bank of Iran do not extend to the bank itself. Following President Trump's decision to cease participation by the U.S. government in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, sanctions on the bank will be re-imposed August 7, and on November 5, additional sanctions will be re-imposed on persons knowingly engaging in certain significant transactions with the Central Bank of Iran.

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Financial Crimes OFAC Department of Treasury Sanctions Iran Iraq International

OFAC issues sanctions against persons involved in Hizballah financial network

On February 2, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions against six individuals and seven entities for providing financial support to terrorists or acts of terrorism. Issued pursuant to Executive Order 13224, which “provides a means by which to disrupt the financial support network for terrorists and terrorist organizations by authorizing the U.S. government to designate and block the assets of foreign individuals and entities that commit, or pose a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism,” the sanctions target the business operations of Hizballah and serve to further Treasury’s continued measures to “sever Hizballah from the international financial system.” OFAC stressed that, pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations, it has the authority to “prohibit or impose strict conditions on the opening or maintaining in the [U.S.] of a correspondent account or a payable-through account by a foreign financial institution that knowingly facilitates a significant transaction for Hizballah, or a person acting on behalf of or at the direction of, or owned or controlled by, Hizballah.” All property, or interests in property, held by the sanctioned individuals and entities within U.S. jurisdiction will be blocked, and transactions between the sanctioned individuals and entities and Americans are also “generally prohibited.”

Financial Crimes OFAC Sanctions Department of Treasury International

OFAC Issues Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations

On April 15, OFAC issued new regulations to implement the Hizballah International Financing Prevention Act of 2015. The regulations authorize the Secretary of the Treasury to prohibit U.S. financial institutions from opening or maintaining correspondent or payable through accounts, or to impose strict conditions on the opening or maintenance of such accounts, for foreign financial institutions determined to knowingly:  (i) facilitate significant transactions for or on behalf of Hizballah or any person whose property or interests in property are blocked due to a connection with  Hizballah; (ii) engage in money laundering to carry out such transactions; or (iii) facilitate or provide significant financial services in relation to transactions described in (i) and (ii). OFAC will publish the names of foreign financial institutions sanctioned under the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations in the Federal Register, and include them in the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations List, a new list maintained on OFAC’s website. The regulations took effect immediately upon issuance.

Anti-Money Laundering Sanctions OFAC