U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen (left) has imposed sanctions on three people and four entities accused of being part of an Iranian procurement network. File photo: Michael Reynolds/UPI
February 14 (UPI) — The Biden administration has blacklisted three people and four companies that the United States accuses of sourcing American goods and technology for Iran and U.S.-designated central banks in Middle Eastern countries.
The sanctions were announced by the Treasury and State Departments on Wednesday and specifically target Iran's Information Services Corporation, a subsidiary of the Central Bank of Iran, which in September 2019 provided funding to Tehran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The United States was designated as the destination.
advertisement
“The Central Bank of Iran provides financial and technical support to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force and Hezbollah, foreign terrorist organizations and key drivers of the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East,” State Department Spokesman Mathew said in a statement. “He has played an important role in this,” he said. Mr. Miller said in his statement.
“Today's actions demonstrate that there are consequences for defying export restrictions and circumventing sanctions against Iran.”
Officials said the ISC is the CBI's technology arm that uses front companies to acquire U.S. products and technology, which are then sent to the central bank.
Along with ISC, the US on Wednesday sanctioned United Arab Emirates-based Advanced Banking Solutions for being one of ISC's front companies. U.S. officials say the company purchased U.S. products and technology from more than 20 companies that were then transferred to the CBI by misrepresenting who the intended end users of the products were.
UAE-based Freedom Star General Trading was blacklisted for facilitating the transit of goods from the UAE to Iran's CBI, while Turkey's Ted Technologies Gelistrume Hizmetleri Sanai Tikaret Anonym was hit because he served as the ISC's national representative and worked as a member of the Iranian government. Procurement network.
Those sanctioned include ISC CEO Seyed Abotaleb Najafi, 67, Freedom Star president Mohammad Reza Kademi, 57, and ISC employee Poulia Mirdamadi, 44. age).
The sanctions prevent designated persons from acquiring U.S. property or accessing U.S. financial markets, as well as prohibiting U.S. persons from doing business with them.
Recently, we have also developed central bank digital.
Freedom Star General Trading, Turkey-based UAE-based advanced banking solutions
In September 2019, the United States sanctioned the CBI over its funding of elite groups in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
