Mohammad Sadegh Karimian | |
|---|---|
| Born | Mohammad Sadegh Karimian 22 May 1987 |
Mohammad Sadegh Karimian (born May 22, 1987) is an Iranian national identified as an agent of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF). In 2022, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated him as a Specially Designated National (SDN) under Executive Order 13224 for materially assisting the IRGC-Q. [1] [2] [3]
Karimian has been implicated in facilitating the illicit sale of Iranian oil on behalf of the IRGC-QF. He has collaborated with networks, including those led by Behnam Shahriyari, to conceal the origins of proceeds from these sales. [4] His activities have involved coordinating the sale and transportation of significant quantities of oil, with transactions amounting to over $2 billion funneled through the U.S. financial system to finance the IRGC-QF. [5] [4]
In 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice unsealed an indictment charging Karimian and several associates with terrorism and sanctions-evasion offenses. The charges include conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, bank and wire fraud, money laundering, and defrauding the United States. [3] [5]
As a result of these designations and charges, all property and interests in property of Karimian within U.S. jurisdiction are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with him. Additionally, foreign financial institutions that knowingly facilitate significant transactions for him risk exposure to U.S. correspondent account sanctions. [6] [4]