Newsmax and other sources are reporting that the U.S. military has initiated airstrikes against targets associated with Iranian proxy groups in Syria. These strikes were launched shortly after a drone attack claimed the lives of three American soldiers in Jordan over the weekend.
A dignified transfer ceremony was held at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to honor the fallen soldiers, which was attended by President Joe Biden. The U.S. has attributed the weekend attack to the Islamic Resistance in Iraq umbrella group and holds them responsible for the deaths of Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, and Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, as well as the injuries sustained by approximately 40 other American service members.
Critics of the Biden administration have expressed concerns about the delay in responding to the attack, as it has potentially allowed Iranian military officials and Tehran-backed militia groups to evade capture. In addition to the military actions, the United States has also announced charges and seizures related to a billion-dollar oil trafficking network that allegedly funds Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and other militant groups.
These actions by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) are a response to Iran’s aggressive behavior over the years, including a plot to assassinate former U.S. national security adviser John Bolton in 2022. Recent attacks by Iran-backed militants, such as the one carried out by Hamas against Israel on October 7th and the attack in Jordan over the weekend, have further highlighted the importance of scrutinizing Iran’s oil trade.
“The Justice Department will continue to use every authority we have to cut off the illegal financing and enabling of Iran’s malicious activities, which have become even more evident in recent months,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has taken possession of over $108 million that it claims China Oil & Petroleum Company Limited attempted to launder through accounts at American financial institutions. According to the DOJ, China Oil & Petroleum is a front company for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). In addition to the funds, the DOJ has also seized more than 520,000 barrels of Iranian oil found on the crude tanker Abyss, which were subject to U.S. sanctions.
A total of seven defendants, including Sitki Ayan, the chairman of the ASB Group and a Turkish national, Morteza Rostam Ghasemi, the son of a former IRGC commander and Iranian petroleum minister, and Behnam Shahriyari, an official of the IRGC Quds Force, have been charged in connection with the money seizure in the federal court of the Southern District of New York. Furthermore, the DOJ has filed charges against Shaoyun Wang, a Chinese woman, and Mahmood Rashid Amur Al Habsi, an Omani man, for Iran sanctions evasion and money laundering. These charges are related to the trafficking and sale of Iranian oil to Chinese government-owned refineries, and the case will be heard in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Despite U.S. sanctions imposed on Tehran’s nuclear program, Iran’s crude exports and oil production reached new highs in 2023. Iran maintains that its nuclear program is intended for peaceful purposes. However, in January, China’s oil trade with Iran experienced a setback as Tehran withheld shipments and demanded higher prices from its largest customer, resulting in a reduction of affordable supply for the world’s largest crude oil importer. Chinese imports of Iranian oil account for approximately 10% of its total crude imports.
