The Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control ("OFAC") imposed sanctions against two Hizballah-associated individuals for their alleged role in financing terrorist networks. Mohammad Ibrahim Bazzi and Abdallah Safi-Al-Din have ties to the Central Bank of Iran, which OFAC accused of helping the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force to acquire hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars.
According to OFAC, Mr. Bazzi acted as a key financier for Lebanese terrorist group Hizballah. During his time at the Central Bank of Iran, OFAC said that Mr. Bazzi worked with Mr. Safi-Al-Din to "expand banking access between Iran and Lebanon." Mr. Safi-Al-Din is the Hizballah representative to Iran. Both individuals were sanctioned pursuant to Executive Order 13224 (Blocking Property and Prohibiting Transactions With Persons Who Commit, Threaten to Commit, or Support Terrorism).
In a statement, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin emphasized the Trump Administration's determination to "disrupt Hizballah and Iranian terror networks . . . including those with ties to the Central Bank of Iran."
This is the third OFAC sanctions-related action in the past week related to the Central Bank of Iran.
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