U.S. Sanctions Smuggling Network for Qods Force and Hizballah

For decades, the Iranian regime has used Hizballah to spread terror throughout the Middle East. Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury is renewing its designation of Hizballah for its actions in support of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF).

Treasury is also designating ten individuals that are part of a network responsible for transferring cash between the IRGC-QF and Hizballah.  The network uses couriers traveling on commercial airline flights between Lebanon, Turkiye, the UAE, and Iran to move hundreds of millions of dollars, enabling the regime to obtain foreign currency illicitly, evade sanctions, and fund Hizballah.  The investigation and disruption of this network are the result of close coordination and collaboration with our Turkish partners.

The United States will not relent in targeting Iran’s financial support networks, including those enabling Hizballah to threaten peace, undermine the sovereignty of the Lebanese state, and endanger the security of our regional allies.

Today’s action is being taken pursuant to the counterterrorism authority, Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, as amended.  The Department of State designated Hizballah as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) pursuant to E.O. 13224 on October 31, 2001.  The Department of State designated Hizballah as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) pursuant to section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act on October 8, 1997.  The Department of the Treasury designated the IRGC-QF as an SDGT pursuant to E.O. 13224 on October 25, 2007.  The Department of State designated the IRGC-QF as an FTO pursuant to section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act on April 8, 2019. For more information on today’s action, see the Department of the Treasury’s press release.