OFAC took sanctions action over the last week in the Iran, Russia, terrorism and human rights abuses programs:
Iran-related Sanctions
- OFAC Designates Former President of Iran: OFAC on Sept. 18 designated Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former president of Iran, for having provided material support to the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS), an entity concurrently designated by the Department of State. The Department of State designated MOIS for being responsible for, or complicit in, to have directly or indirectly engaged in, or to be responsible for ordering, controlling, or otherwise directing, the hostage-taking of a U.S. national or the wrongful detention of a U.S. national abroad. Read more.
- Related to this action, OFAC announced the establishment of a humanitarian channel in Qatar (HC) to further facilitate the flow of humanitarian assistance to the people of Iran consistent with the U.S. government’s longstanding support for humanitarian trade. The HC does not lift any U.S. sanctions on Iran, and the U.S. government continues to impose sanctions on Iran’s malign activity. Read more.
Russia-related Sanctions
- OFAC Imposes New Sanctions on Russian Individuals and Banks: OFAC on Sept. 14 sanctioned nearly 100 Russian elites and members of Russia’s industrial base, financial institutions, and technology suppliers as the United States continues to leverage sanctions and economic restrictions to undermine Russia’s capacity to wage its war against Ukraine. Among the new designations are two Russia-based banks, Bars Bank and Sinko Bank, and several Russia-based wealth management consulting, auditing and investment firms. In addition, the State Department designated more than 70 individuals. Read more.
Terrorism-related Sanctions
- OFAC Designates Hizballah Operatives and Financial Facilitators in South America and Lebanon: OFAC, in coordination with the Drug Enforcement Administration, designated key Hizballah operatives and financial facilitators in South America and Lebanon. This action includes Amer Mohamed Akil Rada, who in addition to his role as a senior Hizballah operative, was one of the operational members of Hizballah who carried out the terrorist attack against the Asociacion Mutual Israelita Argentina in Argentina in 1994 that killed 85 people. Amer and his associates manage a commercial enterprise for Hizballah, including charcoal exports to Lebanon. This action targets seven key individuals and entities in this network that generates revenue for Hizballah’s terrorist activities and enables the terrorist group’s activities in Latin America. Read more.
Human Rights Abuse Designations
- OFAC Sanctions Iranian Officials and Companies Connected to Mahsa “Zhina” Amini’s Death: OFAC on Sept. 15 designated 29 individuals and entities in connection with the Iranian regime’s violent suppression of nationwide protests following the death of Mahsa “Zhina” Amini in September 2022 while in custody of its ‘Morality Police,’ and the regime’s continued efforts to detain dissenting voices and restrict access to a free and open internet. The designees include 18 key members of the regime’s security forces, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Law Enforcement Forces; the head of Iran’s Prisons Organization; three individuals and one company in connection with the regime’s systematic censorship and blocking of access to the internet; and three IRGC and regime-controlled media outlets—Fars News, Tasnim News and Press TV—and three senior officials. Read more.
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