US sanctions dozens of people, entities claimed to be linked to Iran military

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department that the network it had slapped sanctions on had helped Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL) and the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) process and transfer funds allegedly earned from sale of oil and petrochemicals since 2020.

It added the network included exchange houses in Iran and foreign cover companies they manage in jurisdictions such as Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates, Marshall Islands and Turkey.

It claimed the network had enabled MODAFL and the IRGC to launder revenues from oil sales to supply weapons and funding to groups close to Iran, including the ruling Houthi Ansarullah movement in Yemen, as well as for provision of drones to Russia for use in the war in Ukraine.

Iran has repeatedly rejected allegations that it has been supplying weapons or funding to groups like the Houthis. Authorities insist that the Yemenis have been self-sufficient in design, development and manufacture of equipment they have used in their attacks on Israeli, US and British ships in regional waters in recent months.

Tehran has also denied supplying weapons to Russia for use in its war with Ukraine.

However, Washington has used the accusations to impose more sanctions on Iran amidst a campaign of maximum pressure on the country that started in 2018 after the US withdrew from an international agreement on Iran’s nuclear program.