Washington [US], May 25 (ANI/Sputnik): The United States is targeting nine Russian individuals and one entity in the new round of Iran-related sanctions it is imposing, the US Department of the Treasury said in a release on Wednesday.
“Today, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is designating an international oil smuggling and money laundering network led by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) officials that has facilitated the sale of hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Iranian oil for both the IRGC-QF and Hezbollah,” the release said.
The Treasury Department explained in the release that the oil smuggling network, for which is alleged that is led by US-designated IRGC-QF official Behnam Shahriyari and former IRGC-QF official Rostam Ghasemi and backed by senior levels of the Russian government, “has acted as a critical element of Iran’s oil revenue generation, as well as its support for proxy militant groups that continue to perpetuate conflict and suffering throughout the region.”(ANI/Sputnik)