Treasury Designates IRGC Pursuant to Multiple Executive Orders for Support to Iran’s Ballistic Missile and Nuclear Programs, Human Rights Abuses, and Terrorism

Washington D.C. - The United States Department of the Treasury has designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) pursuant to multiple executive orders for its support to Iran’s ballistic missile and nuclear programs, serious human rights abuses by the Iranian government, global terrorism, and consistent with the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act.

Background

The IRGC, including its Quds Force (IRGC-QF), has been designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) by the State Department in April 2019. The designation highlighted Iran’s use of terrorism as a central tool of its statecraft and an essential element of its foreign policy.

Designations

The IRGC is integrally woven into the Iranian economy, operating 13 institutions and front companies worldwide, which enables the profits from seemingly legitimate business deals to fund Iranian terrorism. The Treasury has taken action against 25 individuals and entities involved in a network that transferred over a billion USD and euros to the IRGC.

Support for Terrorism

• Iran provides upwards of $700 million annually toward Hizballah’s estimated $1 billion budget.
• The Treasury designated an Iraq-based IRGC-QF financial conduit, South Wealth Resources Company (SWRC), which trafficked hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of weapons to IRGC-QF-backed militias.

Human Rights Abuses

The Treasury has also designated individuals and entities involved in human rights abuses by the Iranian government.

Attempted Violence in the United States

In October 2011, the Treasury designated four senior IRGC-QF officers and Mansoor Arbabsiar, a naturalized U.S. citizen, for plotting to assassinate the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the United States. Payment for the assassination reached Arbabsiar from Tehran via two wire transfers totaling approximately $100,000.

Commitment to Disrupting Iran’s Activities

The Treasury’s actions demonstrate its commitment to disrupting Iran’s support for terrorism and human rights abuses, as well as its ballistic missile and nuclear programs. The designations of the IRGC and other entities involved in Iran’s terrorist activities aim to prevent the flow of funds and resources that enable these illegal activities.

Conclusion

The Treasury’s designation of the IRGC and other entities involved in Iran’s terrorist activities highlights the importance of taking action against those who support terrorism and human rights abuses. The Treasury will continue to work to disrupt Iran’s illegal activities and hold accountable those who engage in them.