The US Treasury Department announced new Iran-related sanctions on Thursday, targeting 16 individuals and 10 entities, while warning financial institutions about alleged attempts by Tehran to use religious networks and charitable organizations to transfer money and finance activities linked to the Iranian regime.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said the individuals and entities had been added to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN List), with most also subject to secondary sanctions.
Alongside the announcement, OFAC issued a new general license, identified as “FF,” authorizing the wind-down of certain transactions involving the International Development Bank for Investment and Finance, based in Baghdad, Iraq.
US Warns Against the Misuse of Religious Charities
The measures were announced under the Treasury Department’s “Economic Outcast” operation. Separately, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued an alert urging financial institutions to report potential indicators of the Iranian regime’s use of charitable and religious networks, including the transfer of khums funds, a religious contribution in some Shia Muslim communities.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington would not allow the Iranian regime to exploit religious institutions to enrich elites and finance terrorism. He added that identifying and reporting suspicious activities could help law enforcement isolate the regime and those facilitating its financing.
According to the Treasury Department, certain Iran-linked organizations use religious institutions inside Iran and in neighboring countries to collect and transfer funds, including khums payments from members of Shia communities around the world. The department said some transfers rely on informal financial channels, including cash couriers and other methods of moving money outside formal banking systems.
FinCEN urged financial institutions to watch for suspicious indicators, including fundraising without a clear charitable purpose, large deposits from unidentified sources followed by rapid transfers to other organizations, and transactions potentially structured to evade reporting and recordkeeping requirements.
The agency also warned about cases in which individuals receive transfers from organizations with which they have no apparent connection, then withdraw the funds in cash or transfer them to other parties.
FinCEN emphasized that legitimate charities must continue to have access to financial services, while urging banks to assess risks when dealing with charitable and nonprofit organizations.
Individuals and Entities Targeted by the Sanctions
The list of sanctioned individuals includes Azadeh Abdolalipour, Farzad Allahyar, Nazanin Barji, Milad Katebi, Jila Mohammadi, also known as Jila Mohammadi Aliabad, Amir Thabti, and Fatemeh Vathiqi Mehrabadi. The Treasury linked them to Farab Soroush Afagh Qeshm.
The list also includes Sadegh Bavi, an Iranian national who also holds Dominican citizenship; Seyed Abbas Hosseini Parsa; and Khaled Mohsennejad, who were linked to Seyed Abbas Hosseini Parsa & Partners Qeshm.
Other individuals named were Abolhassan Jalali, Mansoureh Mir-Mohammadi, Soheil Najafzadeh, Soroush Najafzadeh, Ensieh Mollahmohammadi, and Seyed Rouhollah Razavi, who holds Iranian, Dominican, and Turkish citizenship.
The 10 entities include Abolhassan Jalali & Partners Exchange in Qom; Bavi & Partners Exchange in Tehran; the International Offshore Bank of Chabahar in Iran; and Elite Saffir Trading in Hong Kong.
The list also includes Farzanegan Energy Pars, linked to Seyed Rouhollah Razavi; the International Development Bank for Investment and Finance in Baghdad; the International Bank of Kish Island in Iran; Seyed Abbas Hosseini Parsa & Partners Qeshm; Soheil and Soroush Najafzadeh & Partners in Tehran; and Tejarat Gostar Atlas Parsian Kish, also linked to Razavi.
In a separate action, the US Treasury Department designated the International Bank of Commerce in Cuba under its Cuba-related sanctions program, rather than as part of the Iran-related measures.
