US sanctions network accused of procuring weapons for IRGC as Iran ramps up strikes in Hormuz

The United States sanctioned a network of seven individuals and organizations on Wednesday for procuring weapons for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) identified individuals like Behrouz Namazi, general director of Nika Jet Company, and Russian nationals Mariya Vladimirovna Selina and Vadim Anatolyevich Druzhbin, for their roles in acquiring and transferring weapons to Iran, in violation of UN Security Council resolutions. These actions come amid escalating Iranian attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent stated, "Treasury will continue to target and disrupt the illicit procurement networks that fund Iran's weapons programs and war machine." The sanctions aim to impose maximum economic pressure on Iran, blocking property and potentially leading to civil or criminal penalties for violators.