U.S. Sanctions Iran’s Central Bank Officials for Supporting Terrorism

The U.S. Treasury on Tuesday imposed new sanctions on Iran, targeting the central bank’s governor and the assistant director of the bank’s international department for “providing support for terrorist activities.” The bank officials were called “specially designated global terrorists” for allegedly helping the Revolutionary Guard Corps/Quds Force support Hezbollah. Ali Tarzali, the bank’s assistant international department director, was also deemed to have helped funnel millions of Quds Force dollars to the terror organization. “It is appalling, but not surprising, that Iran’s senior-most banking official would conspire with the IRGC-QF to facilitate funding of terror groups like Hezbollah,” Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said in a statement. “The United States will not permit Iran’s increasingly brazen abuse of the international financial system.” This comes after President Trump announced the United States would be pulling out of the Iran deal and reinstating sanctions against the country.