U.S. sanctions Iranian facilitators tied to oil sales
- The U.S. Treasury announced sanctions against two Iranian financial facilitators involved in illicit oil sales.
- These facilitators were part of a broader network that utilized shadow banking to evade sanctions.
- The sanctions aim to disrupt Iran’s financial operations and impede funding for its military activities.
On September 16, 2025, the U.S. Department of Treasury announced sanctions against two Iranian financial facilitators, Alireza Derakhshan and Arash Estaki Alivand, who were implicated in a "shadow banking" scheme to sell Iranian oil. This action was part of a broader strategy to disrupt financial networks that enable Iran to evade sanctions and fund its military and terrorist activities. The Treasury's release indicated that these individuals facilitated the purchase of over $100 million worth of cryptocurrency through a network of front companies operating in foreign jurisdictions. The actions against Derakhshan and Alivand come in the context of ongoing international efforts to address Iran's use of illicit financial networks. The Department highlighted Iran's reliance on these shadow banking systems, which operate outside the purview of traditional regulatory frameworks, to facilitate transactions that benefit the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force and Iran's Ministry of Defense. Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, John K. Hurley, emphasized the commitment to disrupt these financial streams, which are crucial to Iran's military ambitions and regional destabilization efforts. In addition to the two Iranian nationals, more than a dozen individuals and entities based in Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates were also sanctioned. This expansion of sanctions reflects a concerted effort by the U.S. and its allies, particularly the United Kingdom, Germany, and France, who initiated a 30-day process for "snapback" sanctions against Iran due to concerns regarding treaty compliance post the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear deal. The implications of these sanctions are significant, as they not only block the assets of the accused in the United States but also restrict American businesses from engaging with them. The drive to sanction those involved in supporting Iran’s oil sector underscores a strategic pivot by the U.S. to exert greater financial pressure on Iran, aiming to curtail funding that is perceived to support terrorism globally.