Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran

February 22, 2021 | Matthew Zweig, Alireza Nader, Richard Goldberg

Biden Administration Should Not Provide Sanctions Relief for Terrorism

As President Joe Biden looks to rejoin the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran is likely to pressure the Biden administration to provide broad sanctions relief,...

February 18, 2021 | Saeed Ghasseminejad, Toby Dershowitz

Iran, Terrorism Finance, and Money Laundering: A Status Update Before FATF Meets Next Week

When the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) convenes its plenary next week, while not formally on the agenda, buzz on the sidelines will concern Tehran’s constant push to be removed from the FATF blacklist....

January 25, 2021 | Richard Goldberg, Saeed Ghasseminejad, Behnam Ben Taleblu, Matthew Zweig, Mark Dubowitz

Biden, Congress Should Defend Terrorism Sanctions Imposed on Iran

January 14, 2021 | Mark Dubowitz, Richard Goldberg

Iran

January 8, 2021 | Richard Goldberg, Mark Dubowitz

Why Biden’s Plan to Rejoin the Iran Deal Makes No Sense

This week’s escalation of tensions by Tehran looks like blackmail to force Biden to abandon sanctions—and give up leverage over the regime.

November 3, 2020 | Aykan Erdemir, Umut Can Fidan

Zarrab Was Not the Only Iranian Ringleader to Exploit Turkey’s Permissive Jurisdiction

Reza Zarrab, the Turkey-based ringleader of Iran’s sanctions-evasion network who laundered over $20 billion in the biggest sanctions-evasion scheme in recent history, continues to make headlines. A...

October 26, 2020 | Saeed Ghasseminejad |

Iran’s Access to Hard Currency Reserves Drops Precipitously

In its latest assessment of Iran’s economy, released last week, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimated that Iran’s “readily available and controlled” gross official reserves will fall to...

September 30, 2020 | Richard Goldberg, Mark Dubowitz

Designating Iran’s Financial Sector Would Not Impact Humanitarian Trade

According to an exclusive Bloomberg report this week, the Trump administration may be considering a sanctions designation of Iran’s financial sector in its entirety pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.)...

August 25, 2020 | Mark Dubowitz, Richard Goldberg

How the U.S. Can Finally Cut Off Tehran’s Financial Oxygen

Blacklist the 14 Iranian banks that are still allowed to do business with foreign customers.

July 9, 2020 | Mark Dubowitz, Behnam Ben Taleblu, Richard Goldberg

Maximize Pressure on Iran: Fortify the Sanctions Wall

The Islamic Republic of Iran is in crisis. U.S. sanctions have crippled the country’s economy. Protests over the regime’s failed policies continue. The Islamic Republic has reportedly even reduced force...

June 2, 2020 | Saeed Ghasseminejad |

Tehran’s Flawed Plans to Fight Inflation

The Central Bank of Iran (CBI) announced an inflation target last week of 22 percent for the current Persian calendar year, which lasts from March 2020 to March 2021. After a two-year period during which...

May 7, 2020 | Mark Dubowitz, Behnam Ben Taleblu

Two Years On, the Trump Administration’s Iran Policy Continues to Make Sense

In the two years since the United States left the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the Trump administration has adopted a policy of “maximum pressure”...

April 5, 2020 | |

Should the United States Lift Sanctions on Iran to Address Its Coronavirus Outbreak?

Iran is the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the Middle East. The Islamic Republic’s leadership has engaged in a massive campaign aimed at lifting sanctions imposed on it for its malign activities,...

March 31, 2020 | Mark Dubowitz, Richard Goldberg

The Coronavirus Is Absolutely No Excuse To Lift Sanctions on Iran

Exploiting Iran's coronavirus crisis to demand an end to sanctions is fundamentally dishonest—and panders to a brutal regime.

March 30, 2020 | Mark Dubowitz, Behnam Ben Taleblu

Treasury Sanctions Quds Force Fronts in Iraq 

The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday sanctioned 20 people and companies in Iraq and Iran with ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force (IRGC-QF), Tehran’s elite foreign...

March 26, 2020 | Richard Goldberg, Saeed Ghasseminejad

IMF Should Reject Islamic Republic’s Loan Request

The Islamic Republic of Iran has requested a $5 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as Tehran confronts a perfect economic storm combining President Donald Trump’s maximum pressure...

October 10, 2019 | Saeed Ghasseminejad |

Despite Sanctions, Iran Exports Hundreds of Millions Worth of Polyethylene to China

Abdolnasser Hemmati, the head of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI), announced last week that from March to September 2019 the CBI managed to provide $19 billion to pay for Iran’s imports, of which $11 billion...

July 23, 2019 | Yaya J. Fanusie |

Will Crypto Rogues Threaten the Geopolitical Order?

“There is a competition for currency supremacy. The dollar is the preferred currency in the world... The dollar is the means by which we have the opportunity to inf...

July 17, 2019 | |

Thirty-Five Former U.S. Officials and Policy Experts Ask Treasury Department to Safeguard Global Financial System by Sanctioning New Iran Trade Vehicle

(Washington, DC, July 16, 2019) – A group of 35 policy experts and former U.S. officials – including two former senators, four former officials with rank of ambassador, and a form...

July 16, 2019 | |

Letter on New Iran Trade Vehicle

We are writing to respectfully request that you examine whether Iran’s counterpart to a new European trade vehicle formed to evade U.S. sanctions on Iran meets the criteria either for designation for being owned or controlled by designated Iranian entities subject to U.S sanctions, or for designation under Executive Order 13846. We believe it does.