Central bank

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...

Detecting and Halting an Iranian Weaponization Effort

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Energy crisis has Iran on the brink — and hands Trump a historic opportunity

“Fools” flocking to the “scent of kebab”: That’s how Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei recently described audiences abroad who sense an opportunity to support Iran’s people against their...

Hezbollah’s Unit 4400

On October 1, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced the killing of Mohammad Jaafar Qasir, a high-value Hezbollah operative who commanded the group’s Unit 4400—the body responsible for transporting...

Iran’s Economy Braces for Impact of Clash With Israel

Iranians remain on edge as they wait for Israel’s response to Iran’s latest ballistic missile barrage. The Iranian currency reflects local anxiety as the street value of the Iranian rial to the dollar...

American October 7 Victims File U.S. Lawsuit Against Iran, Syria and North Korea

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a U.S.-based Jewish civil rights organization, submitted a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Washington, DC, on July 1 targeting the regimes in Iran, Syria, and North Korea for enabling Hamas’s terrorist atrocities in Israel on October 7...

Former Iranian President Ahmadinejad Vying to Succeed Raisi

Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad registered as a presidential candidate on June 2. Elections to select a successor to the late Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter...

Iranian Rial’s Depreciation Persists Into Persian New Year

The Iranian rial struck a record low on March 24, trading at about 613,000 to the U.S. dollar in the unregulated market. Since January, the dollar has appreciated about 21 percent...

Iranian Rial Plunges to Historic Low

The Iranian rial plummeted to a historic all-time low on March 4, trading at about 600,000 to the U.S. dollar in the unregulated market. Amid escalating tensions in the region,...

New Canadian sanctions fall short in Lebanon

If Minister Joly is serious about opposing corruption in Lebanon, there's more Ottawa can do

New U.S., UK, Canadian Sanctions Target Former Lebanese Central Bank Governor 

The United States, in coordination with the United Kingdom and Canada, imposed sanctions today on former Lebanese Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh and three of his associates.  Washington once considered...

Lebanese Central Bank Governor Hit With Sanctions From U.S., UK, Canada 

The United States, UK, and Canada sanctioned the former governor of Lebanon’s central bank, Riad Salameh, for “corrupt and unlawful actions” on August 10 but stopped short of sanctioning the...

Top U.S. Lawmakers Want Action Against Lebanon’s Corrupt Central Bank Chief

The chairman and ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee sent a letter on Tuesday to Secretary of State Antony Blinken calling on the administration to “support independent, international...

Ruble Rumble

Offensive and Defensive Measures to Defeat Russia in the Economic Domain

Erdogan faces growing backlash over earthquake mismanagement

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan referred to the earthquakes that struck Turkey in early February as the “disaster of the century.” The earthquake certainly wreaked havoc, making an estimated...

The Evolution of Kim Jong Un’s ‘All-Purpose Sword’

Crypto-Fascists

Cryptocurrency Usage by Domestic Extremists

The New Nuclear Deal Would Allow Tehran to Access Up to $131 Billion of Its Foreign Assets

The Biden administration is finalizing a deal that would provide the Islamic Republic with relief from U.S. sanctions in exchange for temporary and limited curbs on Iran’s nuclear program. When the administration...

Iran Nuclear Talks in Vienna Won’t Result in a Better Deal

The nuclear negotiations in Vienna continue. The Iranians are setting the tone and pace while the Americans struggle to keep alive the possibility of a deal. The Israelis—for whom these talks will have...

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....