OFAC Sanctions Network of Money Movers for IRGC, Hamas
the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned four people and four companies for helping to move money between Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp-Qods Force and the operational arm for Hamas, Treasury said Aug. 29. OFAC designated Muhammad Sarur, Kamal Abdelrahman Aref Awad, Fawaz Mahmud Ali Nasser, Muhammad Kamal al-Ayy and four Lebanon-based entities: Jammal Trust Bank, Trust Insurance, Trust Insurance Services and Trust Life Insurance Company.
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Treasury said the people and entities worked as “critical intermediaries” between Iran and Hamas’ Izz-Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades as well as other end-users in the West Bank. Sarur, based in Lebanon, leads the network of money transfers and has transferred “tens of millions of dollars” each year from the IRGC to Hamas.
Awad, Nasser and al-Ayy were sanctioned for providing “financial, material, technological support, financial or other services” to Hamas, Treasury said. Awad worked as a Gaza-based financial associate for Hamas, while Nasser worked as a Hamas financial auditor and al-Ayy worked as a “money exchanger,” Treasury said.