The United States has implemented a new set of sanctions aimed at 10 individuals and 27 organizations connected to Iran’s financial operations. This move emphasizes the significant role played by Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates in assisting Tehran in circumventing U.S. measures.
These sanctions target Iranian citizens, a Chinese national, and several entities in Hong Kong and the UAE. The announcement came just a day after a phone conversation between U.S. President and his Chinese counterpart, as U.S. officials work towards negotiating a nuclear agreement with Iran.
In a statement released Friday, the U.S. Treasury Department revealed that a financial network managed by Iranian brothers Mansour, Nasser, and Fazlolah Zarringhalam was involved in laundering billions of dollars via multiple front companies based in Hong Kong and the UAE, which they control.
The Treasury Department’s statement indicated, “The regime exploits this network to bypass sanctions and transfer funds from its oil and petrochemical sales—activities that support its nuclear and missile programs as well as its terrorist affiliates.”
It also noted, “To facilitate payments for restricted goods, shadow banking intermediaries may fabricate invoices or details of transactions,” while adding, “Front companies are established in regions with lenient regulatory environments to dodge scrutiny of their operations or ownership.”
The sanctions include several companies based in Hong Kong such as Hero Companion Limited, Plzcome Limited, and Kinlere Trading Limited, to name a few.