US sanctions 10 individuals in cash courier network funding Hezbollah
The US Treasury targets a network that moves hundreds of millions of dollars between Lebanon, Turkey and Iran on commercial flights, part of expanded enforcement against Hezbollah's regional financing operations.
US sanctions 10 individuals in cash courier network funding Hezbollah
The US Department of the Treasury has imposed sanctions on 10 individuals operating a cash courier network that transfers funds to Hezbollah, moving up to hundreds of millions of dollars between Lebanon, Turkey and Iran on commercial airline flights.
The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control announced the action on Friday, stating that the network provides an avenue outside the formal financial system for Hezbollah to obtain foreign currency and evade existing sanctions.
According to US authorities, couriers carry cash on commercial flights between the three countries, enabling the movement of substantial sums between jurisdictions. Since January 2025, over $1 billion has been transferred from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to Hezbollah through the UAE, utilizing exchange shops, private companies and couriers in Dubai who pass funds to smugglers in Lebanon, Treasury officials stated.
Network linked to deceased IRGC official
The sanctioned network was once associated with Behnam Shahriyari, a senior IRGC Qods Force official who ran money-laundering and oil-smuggling operations for the benefit of the IRGC-QF and Hezbollah. Shahriyari had been charged by the US Department of Justice in February 2024 as part of a billion-dollar oil laundering case, accused of using front companies to transfer more than $2 billion through the US financial system. He was killed in an Israeli airstrike in western Iran on June 21, 2025.
Hezbollah redesignated as Iranian proxy
In addition to targeting the courier network, the Treasury also redesignated Hezbollah under Executive Order 13224, formally identifying it as an Iranian proxy acting on behalf of the IRGC-QF rather than as a stand-alone organization. This redesignation means future sanctions against the IRGC will automatically impact Hezbollah as well.
Executive Order 13224, signed by President George W. Bush on September 23, 2001 in response to the September 11 attacks, authorizes the US government to designate and block assets of foreign individuals and entities that commit or pose a significant risk of committing acts of terrorism. Hezbollah was first designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the US State Department on October 8, 1997, and received the Specially Designated Global Terrorist designation under Executive Order 13224 on October 31, 2001.
Decades-long IRGC support
The relationship between the IRGC-QF and Hezbollah extends back to the early 1980s, when the IRGC deployed one of its brigades to southern Lebanon to establish the organization. Since that time, the IRGC-QF has provided continuous financial and material support, including guidance, funding, weapons, intelligence and logistical assistance.
The Treasury Department noted that Hezbollah and its allies exploit multiple financing schemes to generate and move funds across the region, including oil smuggling, illicit shipping, commodities sales and bulk cash smuggling. Previous US Treasury sanctions actions in 2024 indicated that illicit oil and liquefied petroleum gas smuggling operations generate hundreds of millions of dollars annually for Hezbollah.
Within Lebanon, Hezbollah also operates through Al-Qard Al-Hassan, a financial institution that presents itself as a non-governmental organization but provides banking-like services. US authorities have sanctioned this entity for converting Hezbollah's gold reserves into usable funds and obfuscating the organization's financial interests in seemingly legitimate transactions.
The latest sanctions action represents part of the United States' ongoing counterterrorism efforts to disrupt financing networks that support designated terrorist organizations operating in the Middle East.
