By Name: New U.S. Sanctions — Who Was Targeted?

The U.S. Department of the Treasury has imposed new U.S. sanctions on individuals and entities it says support Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Iraq’s Kata’ib Hezbollah, as part of measures targeting financial and commercial networks operating across Lebanon, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey.

The Treasury said the sanctions, imposed by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), are part of Operation Economic Outcast, which targets financing and money-transfer networks linked to Iran and its regional allies.

The measures include exchange and gold-trading companies in Lebanon, as well as Kata’ib Hezbollah members, businesspeople and companies in Iraq.

All information and allegations concerning the activities of the individuals and companies mentioned in this report are based on the U.S. Department of the Treasury statement and its characterization of the individuals and entities designated for sanctions.

Disclaimer: Designation under U.S. sanctions is an administrative action by U.S. authorities and does not, in itself, constitute a criminal conviction of the individuals or entities named.

U.S. Treasury Details Money-Transfer Network to Lebanon

The U.S. Treasury said Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF) uses front companies to transfer proceeds from Iranian oil sales to exchange companies in the region before the funds reach Lebanon.

According to the Treasury, Quds Force officials in Lebanon worked with Hezbollah financial officials to receive funds through several Lebanese money exchangers, including Hussein Ibrahim and Abdallah Hamieh.

The Treasury said Ibrahim and Hamieh transferred hundreds of millions of dollars from the Quds Force to Hezbollah between May and September 2025.

The Treasury also named Ghaith Hussein Wehbe, describing him as a Hezbollah money courier. It said he worked with U.S.-designated Hezbollah member Osama Jaber to collect funds from exchange companies on behalf of Hezbollah financial officials.

According to the Treasury, Hezbollah uses these funds to purchase weapons, manufacture equipment and pay its members.

The Treasury designated Ibrahim, Hamieh and Wehbe, saying they had provided financial, material or technological support, goods or services to Hezbollah.

Lebanese Exchange and Gold-Trading Companies Sanctioned

The measures also targeted Gold Pro SARL and Yousef Ibrahim Mansour and Partner for Exchange (YIM Exchange) as part of a network that the Treasury said is linked to previously sanctioned Hamdi Zaher El Din.

According to the Treasury, Zaher El Din operates several Lebanese exchange and gold-trading businesses through family members and associates, despite his name not appearing in their formal legal structures.

The Treasury said Mirvat Jamil Zaher El Din acts on his behalf at two companies, holds a position at Yousef Ibrahim Mansour and Partner for Exchange and has power of attorney at Gold Pro SARL.

The Treasury said Gold Pro is not licensed by Banque du Liban to import gold and alleged that Zaher El Din uses money transfers to purchase gold from Dubai before relying on couriers to bring it into Lebanon.

The Treasury designated Mirvat Jamil Zaher El Din, YIM Exchange and Gold Pro SARL, saying the two companies are owned, controlled or directed, directly or indirectly, by Zaher El Din or act on his behalf.

Gold-Linked Network Extends to Syria and Turkey

The Treasury also named Amir Al Maknasi, saying he operates from Syria and Turkey and manages, under Zaher El Din’s direction, a Syria-based gold-trading company with additional offices in Istanbul.

According to the Treasury, the company primarily trades in gold but also uses Lebanese exchange companies to convert currencies on behalf of Zaher El Din into large-denomination banknotes.

The Treasury designated Al Maknasi alongside Mirvat Jamil Zaher El Din, saying they had provided support to Zaher El Din.

Sanctions Target Kata’ib Hezbollah Members in Iraq

In Iraq, the measures targeted four leaders and members of Kata’ib Hezbollah, which the United States designates as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.

The Treasury identified Ali Hassan Farhan Al-Lami, whom it described as a senior Kata’ib Hezbollah leader, along with Hussein Ahmed Hussein Al-Dhahibawi, Mohammed Amin Fadhil Ali Al-Sheikhli and Karrar Mohammed Qasim Al-Harishawi.

The Treasury said all four were designated for acting or purporting to act, directly or indirectly, for or on behalf of Kata’ib Hezbollah.

Iraqi Businesspeople and Companies Added to the Sanctions List

The sanctions also extended to individuals and companies that the Treasury said are linked to procurement and financing networks associated with Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) or Iran-linked actors in Iraq.

Among those named was Abbas Jawad Kadhim Al-Tamimi, an official in the PMF’s Directorate of Technical Equipment. The Treasury said he provides strategic guidance and technical advice concerning foreign military procurement.

The measures also targeted Abdullah Nazim Laibi Al-Amiri, whom the Treasury described as an Iraqi arms dealer based in the UAE and the founder and director of Al-Brouj For General Contracting Company Ltd.

According to the Treasury, the company provides goods and services to the PMF, including services related to equipment with military applications and the maintenance of Russian helicopters.

The measures also included Khaldoun Nasser Maryoush Al-Abada and Ain Al-Iraq For Protecting Technology and Audio, Visual, and Communications Solutions Company Ltd, which the Treasury said provided support to networks associated with the PMF and the Quds Force.

Treasury: Millions of Dollars Transferred From Iraq to Iran

In a separate financial channel, the Treasury said Majid Ali Akbar Namdar Al-Mandalawi uses several private Iraqi banks to transfer funds through Shams & Bahr Trading Company L.L.C.

The Treasury said the Dubai-based company was used to transfer millions of dollars from Iraq to Iran through the UAE and is also owned by Abdulhassan Ali Namdar Al-Mandalawi.

The Treasury designated the company and both men under an executive order targeting sectors of the Iranian economy.

What Do the U.S. Sanctions Mean?

Under the measures announced by the Treasury, all property and interests in property belonging to designated individuals and entities that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC.

The restrictions also extend to entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons, individually or in the aggregate.

The Treasury also warned that certain transactions involving designated persons could expose foreign financial institutions to the risk of secondary sanctions.

U.S. Operation Targets Iran-Linked Networks

The measures are part of Operation Economic Outcast, which the Treasury announced in August 2026 and says is designed to target Iranian revenue sources, money-transfer networks, oil smuggling and sanctions-evasion activities.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the operation targets those that continue to support the Iranian government and that the United States would pursue actors it accuses of financing terrorism, laundering money or helping Iran evade sanctions.

Alongside the sanctions, the Treasury announced a separate action involving an individual who agreed to pay $1,427,230 to settle potential civil liability related to providing consulting and management services to an Iranian company and engaging in other Iran-related transactions.

The Treasury also announced a tightening of its policy governing Iran-related license applications, adopting a general presumption of denial except in limited circumstances.

Sources

• U.S. Department of the Treasury: Operation Economic Outcast Strikes Iran’s Global Terrorist Proxy Network
• U.S. Department of the Treasury – OFAC: Sanctions Designations, September 10, 2026