To Squeeze Hezbollah, Look to West Africa
With Iran blockaded and weakened, Hezbollah may be increasingly dependent on its West African financial schemes.
Bank
Private School Accreditation Organization Benefits from Iranian Money
As the war against the Islamic Republic of Iran rages in the Persian Gulf, there’s another battle against the regime’s influence being fought a bit closer to home. The Iranian missiles and drones that...
Op-eds
Israel Is Taking Aim at Hezbollah’s Banking Sector. The U.S. Should Follow Suit.
The ongoing war against Iran’s clerical regime isn’t confined to the skies above Tehran — at least not for Israel. On March 2, the Israel Defense Forces attacked 18 branches of Al-Qard al-Hassan...
Policy Briefs
U.S. Announces New Sanctions Against Iran’s ‘Shadow Banking’ Network
Sanctions Target IRGC Funding: The Treasury Department issued its second round of sanctions targeting Iran’s “shadow banking” network. The network is used by the Islamic Revolutionary...
Flash Briefs
Who Destroyed Lebanon: Hezbollah or the Banks?
A “bloc” of lawmakers, political parties, media outlets, and non-governmental organizations are peddling a platform that distracts attention from the paramount importance of disarming Hezbollah and...
Op-eds
What’s Driving MSCI’s Anti-Israel ESG Ratings
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Memos
Israel Strikes at Hezbollah’s Iran-Backed Banks in Lebanon
Hezbollah has stockpiled up to half a billion dollars in cash in a secret bunker under a Beirut hospital, Israel revealed on October 21. In a televised briefing, Israel Defense Forces...
Flash Briefs
Civil Case Against Halkbank Dismissed by Supreme Court
The U.S. Supreme Court on January 8 denied a civil petition brought against Halkbank, a Turkish state-owned public lender accused of facilitating Iranian sanctions busting. Despite the petition’s dismissal,...
Policy Briefs
Israel Foils Fatah Terror Cell in West Bank
Israeli forces killed five Palestinian terrorists in an air strike on their West Bank hideout on November 18, foiling attacks they were planning. Palestinian media said the night-time...
Flash Briefs
In Major Reversal, U.S. Lifts Restraints on Iranian Income From Electricity Sales
The Biden administration this week reportedly issued a national security waiver allowing Iraq to pay for the import of Iranian electricity by depositing cash in Iranian bank accounts throughout the...
Flash Briefs
China in Our Backyard: How Chinese Money Laundering Organizations Enrich the Cartels
More than 100,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in the 12-month period ending in November 2022.1 The Biden administration noted that “most of these deaths are caused by illicit synthetic drugs like clandestinely manufactured fentanyl and methamphetamine, often in combination with other drugs, including cocaine and heroin.”2 These deaths increased during the Trump administration and continue to increase today. This is simultaneously a national and local challenge. More Americans die every two weeks on average from overdose deaths than died as a result of the September 11 terror attacks, making this both a national security and a public health crisis that requires bipartisanship to meet the challenge.
Legislative Testimonies
Justice Department Indicts Sanctioned Hezbollah Financier
Latest Developments The Department of Justice (DOJ) indicted Hezbollah financier Nazem Said Ahmad and eight associates on April 18 for their alleged role in fraudulent transactions — many in the United...
Flash Briefs
U.S. Should Sanction Tehran’s New Central Banker
Iran’s government appointed Mohammad Reza Farzin as the new governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) in late December as the country’s national currency, the rial, plummeted against the U.S. dollar....
Policy Briefs
Turkey’s Ziraat Bank Under Scrutiny
Irregularities Point to Erdoğan’s Manipulation of Financial System to Consolidate Power
Memos
Boykott
Germany’s Battle Against the Delegitimization of Israel
Monographs
Crisis in Lebanon
Anatomy of a Financial Collapse
Monographs
Lebanon Is Collapsing and Urgent Reform Is Desperately Needed
Lebanon is unraveling. Last year’s massive public protests over the government’s failure to collect trash or provide other key services now seem like minor quibbles. The COVID-19 pandemic has...
Op-eds
Trump’s New China Strategy Must Focus on International Organizations
The White House released the “United States Strategic Approach to the People’s Republic of China” last month, outlining the Trump administration’s “National Security Strategy as it applies most...
Policy Briefs
Banks Are Most Likely Exposed to Crypto-Assets Unknowingly
U.S. financial regulators are watching closely to see how financial institutions’ exposure to the crypto-asset industry is affecting their bank anti-money laundering compliance. As the broader public...
Op-eds
Brothers in Arms
The Consolidation of the Turkey-Qatar Axis