U.S. Imposes New Sanctions on Hamas and Iran

Latest Developments

The United States on October 27 imposed new sanctions on Hamas-linked officials and financial networks as well as members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). In particular, the sanctions target individuals facilitating sanctions evasion by Hamas, arming and training the terrorist group, and providing financial assistance to the families of Palestinian terrorists who have committed terrorist attacks against Israel. The penalties “underscore the critical role Iran plays in providing financial, logistical, and operational support to Hamas,” the U.S. Department of the Treasury said in a statement.

Expert Analysis

“However belated, this is a welcome move against Tehran’s transnational threat and terror financing apparatus that trained and supported Hamas precisely for this moment. More sanctions and designations can handicap this network and make it fight with one arm tied behind its back. But it is not a silver bullet, nor should it be treated like one.” — Behnam Ben Taleblu, FDD Senior Fellow

“The announcement of Treasury sanctions against Hamas financial facilitators is indeed a positive development. The ever-expanding catalogue of individuals and entities that have been designated, with a noteworthy number of them based in Turkey and Iran, is illustrative of the mounting evidence suggesting that both countries have evolved into primary centers for Hamas military and financial projects.” —Joe Truzman, Research Analyst at FDD’s Long War Journal

Targeting Iran’s Support for Hamas

The Iran-related targets of Washington’s new sanctions include Khaled Qaddoumi, a Tehran-based Jordanian national and Hamas member who serves as the terrorist group’s representative to Iran. Ali Morshed Shirazi and Mostafa Mohammad Khan, IRGC officials who train and assist Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and Hezbollah, are targets as well. Treasury also designated IRGC Ground Force commander Ali Ahmad Faizullahi, whose unit trains Hamas and Hezbollah. The PIJ-affiliated Al-Ansar Charity Association and its director, Nasser Al Sheikh Ali, face sanctions too for funding the families of Palestinian terrorists through the Iranian Bonyad Shahid, also known as the Martyrs Foundation.

Targeting Hamas Financiers

The United States sanctioned two Sudan-based companies and one Spain-based company for being owned, controlled, or directed by Abdelbasit Hamza Elhassan Mohamed Khair, whom Treasury designated on October 18 for playing a role in the transfer of nearly $20 million for Hamas. The Biden administration also sanctioned three shareholders of a Turkey-based company that Treasury described as “a key component of Hamas’s global asset holdings which had previously been estimated to be worth over $500 million.”

Hamas’s Tehran-Backed Terror

According to an FDD tracker, Iran has built a network of at least 19 armed groups on Israel’s borders, including in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, and Syria. The largest of these organizations are Hamas, PIJ, and Hezbollah. These groups and others receive funding, training, and weapons from the IRGC. According to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Iran sends $100 million annually to Hamas, $700 million annually to Hezbollah, and tens of millions of dollars to Islamic Jihad. Hamas also uses Iranian technology and logistical support to produce arms locally. What Hamas does not produce, it smuggles into the Mediterranean enclave from tunnels under its border with Egypt.

Related Analysis

“Hamas overplayed their hand,” by Enia Krivine

“Hamas Fighters Trained with Iranian Forces Before Israel Attack,” FDD Flash Brief

“Hamas Terror Against Israel Sponsored by Iran,” FDD Flash Brief