The American Treasury building in Washington.AFP archive photo
BEIRUT — The United States imposed sanctions on Tuesday against individuals and entities linked to Hezbollah, the Yemeni Houthis, and the al-Quds Force, a branch belonging to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
In a press release published on its website, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) states that the sanctions concern "six entities, one individual and two tankers that are based or registered in Liberia, India, Vietnam, Lebanon, and Kuwait," charged by the Treasury as having engaged in "facilitating commodity shipments and financial transactions for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF), the Houthis, and Hezbollah."
Cryptocurrency transfers
The individual sanctioned is Tawfiq Mohammad Said al-Law, a "Lebanon-based Syrian money exchanger," according to the document. Washington claimed that he "provided Hezbollah with digital wallets to receive funds from IRGC-QF commodity sales, and to make cryptocurrency transfers on behalf of the sanctioned Syrian Qatirji Company."
The man is also alleged, according to the Treasury statement, to have made cryptocurrency transfers for previously sanctioned Hezbollah officials, including Mohammad Jaafar Kassir and Mohammad Kassem al-Bazzal, and is accused of having "provided financial services" to Said al-Jamal, "a network of the Iran-based financial facilitator of the Houthis supported by the Revolutionary Guards." The moneychanger used two Kuwait-based companies to transfer money for purchasing goods in support of Said al-Jamal.
Sixth round of sanctions
These measures constitute the sixth round of sanctions targeting the Said al-Jamal network since December 2023, and represent a further step in "a concerted campaign to disrupt the finances of the al-Quds Force and its support for terrorists such as the Houthis," the Washington report explains.
Last January, sanctions were imposed on three entities and one individual based in Turkey and Lebanon "for providing essential financial support" to a network used by the al-Quds Force and Hezbollah.
"Treasury remains resolute in our commitment to deploy our tools against those who seek to fund the illicit activities of the IRGC-QF and its destabilizing proxy groups,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson, quoted in the press release.
The sanctions also target two ships, the Panamanian-flagged "DAWN II" and the Palau-flagged "ABYSS," for their involvement in the network associated with the Houthis. Saïd al-Jamal is accused of using a company and ship network to smuggle Iranian goods using falsified documents and deceptive practices.
As a result of these sanctions, any properties or interests in the US, or under the control of US persons, belonging to the specified individuals and entities are to be frozen and reported to OFAC. Additionally, any entities owned, directly or indirectly, individually or collectively, by one or more of the sanctioned persons by 50 percent or more, are also subject to being blocked.