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USA Imposes Sanctions on Iranian Individuals and Entities Involved in Terrorist Plots

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Dil Bar Irshad
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The Treasury Department is pictured in Washington, U.S., April 25, 2021
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Image Credit: REUTERS/Al Drago/File Photo

U.S. Treasury Targets Individuals and Affiliates of Iran's Revolutionary Guard

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The United States has imposed sanctions on members and affiliates of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard and its external operations arm. The U.S. Treasury Department announced the move, accusing the targeted individuals and entities of participating in terrorist plots against former U.S. government officials, dual U.S. and Iranian nationals, and Iranian dissidents.

Sanctions on Key Individuals and Companies Affiliated with IRGC-Quds Force

The sanctions primarily target three individuals based in Iran and Turkey, as well as a company affiliated with the IRGC-Quds Force. The Treasury Department identified Mohammad Reza Ansari, a member of the Quds Force, as one of the individuals involved in supporting the group's operations in Syria. Another individual, Shahram Poursafi, an Iranian citizen, was accused of planning and attempting to assassinate two former U.S. government officials.

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Additionally, the sanctions extend to Hossein Hafez Amini, a dual Iranian and Turkish national based in Turkey. Amini is accused of using his Turkish-based airline, Rey Havacilik Ithalat Ihracat Sanayi Ve, to assist the Quds Force in carrying out covert operations, including kidnapping and assassination plots targeting Iranian dissidents. The airline itself has also been placed under sanctions.

The U.S. Treasury Department further revealed that it has imposed penalties on two individuals linked to the IRGC's Intelligence Organization. Rouhallah Bazghandi, the former chief of the organization's counterespionage department, and Reza Seraj, the chief of the Intelligence Organization, have been targeted for their involvement in targeting journalists, activists, dual Iranian nationals, and others opposing Iranian abuses and human rights violations.

As a result of these sanctions, all property belonging to the five individuals and the sanctioned company, within U.S. jurisdiction, is blocked. Engaging in transactions with them can also expose non-U.S. individuals and entities to "secondary sanctions" where the United States can penalize those who do business with the sanctioned parties.

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