The United States has announced sanctions on one individual and four entities, along with the identification of nine vessels as blocked property. These measures target those involved in facilitating illicit trade to Syria and East Asia in support of Hizballah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force.
Among the blocked vessels are four ships linked to the fleet of U.S.-designated Syrian national Abdul Jalil Mallah and his brother Luay al-Mallah, who is also being sanctioned. "Abdul Jalil Mallah and Luay al-Mallah have continued to use these vessels in support of Iran and Hizballah’s destabilizing activities," stated Matthew Miller, Department Spokesperson.
Miller emphasized that this action underscores the U.S. commitment to disrupting networks that evade sanctions for the benefit of Iran-aligned actors in the Middle East. "We will continue to expose the efforts of these actors to exploit the international financial system to finance Iran’s partners and proxies," he added.
The Department of the Treasury's actions were taken under counterterrorism authority Executive Order 13224, as amended. Further details can be found in Treasury's press release.