Inside Economic Warfare And The Fight To Dismantle Iran’s Financial Lifelines
Americans need to give sanctions a chance.
Money laundering
Lebanon’s Hezbollah Finance Crackdown May Be Designed to Fail
Lebanon’s campaign against Hezbollah’s finances may be designed to look tougher than it is. Under pressure from Washington and international regulators, Beirut has done enough to claim progress by...
Op-eds
An obscure financial watchdog could bring down Myanmar’s murderous regime
The task force could stop the junta from buying weapons from America's enemies.
Op-eds
Halting Trade With Iran Won’t Help UAE Combat Sanctions Evasion
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is moving to constrain Iran economically — but it is leaving a major source of regime revenue untouched. On August 18, following a series of high-level discussions with...
Policy Briefs
Treasury Penalizes Anti-Money Laundering Failure After Weak Enforcement
The U.S. Treasury Department is raising the cost of turning a blind eye to suspicious financial activity. On August 3, Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) imposed a $125 million...
Policy Briefs
U.S. Targets Iran’s Hormuz Extortion but Leaves Foreign Financial Enablers Untouched
Tehran faced two rounds of new U.S. sanctions in as many days. On July 29 and July 30, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued back-to-back sanctions targeting the...
Policy Briefs
Hezbollah’s Financing Strategies: Recovering From War With Israel
Iran has spent more than four decades building Hezbollah into a force capable of making war against Israel in hopes of one day destroying the Jewish state. Israeli forces have inflicted tremendous damage on Hezbollah’s leadership, arsenal, and manpower, yet the terror group is rebuilding, thanks in no small part to its globe-spanning illicit finance network. To shed greater light on this crucial subject, FDD has invited Israeli expert Dr. Iftah Burman to provide a robust overview of the transnational web of enterprises, stretching across the Middle East — and from Latin America to West Africa and into cyberspace — that sustains Hezbollah’s aggression. This work provides information essential to intelligence and law enforcement agencies in every country, including the United States, that recognizes the severity of Hezbollah’s threat to peace, stability, and prosperity in the Middle East.
Memos
Gulf States Sanction Hezbollah, but Qatar Has a Flawed Record on Terror Finance Enforcement
There may be a ceasefire in Lebanon, but Hezbollah’s pocketbook is still in the world’s sights. On June 30, the United States and members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) jointly imposed sanctions...
Policy Briefs
EU Anti-Circumvention Sanctions Spark Policy Change in Kyrgyzstan
Russia depends on foreign jurisdictions to help it circumvent Western sanctions — but secondary sanctions have raised the cost of abetting this sanctions evasion, deterring at least some facilitation...
Policy Briefs
The underground financial system keeping Iran afloat amid war, sanctions
A man walks into a Dubai currency exchange, intending to send money to Iran. He hands over $50,000 in cash, and provides a name and a location. Hours later, the money reaches a...
Op-eds
How Iran’s Leaders Hide Their Billions
The United States and its allies around the world need to coordinate better to uncover Iran’s money laundering schemes.
Op-eds
To Squeeze Hezbollah, Look to West Africa
With Iran blockaded and weakened, Hezbollah may be increasingly dependent on its West African financial schemes.
Op-eds
Iranian-Linked Militias in Iraq Threaten U.S. Dollar Flows to the Baghdad Government
The United States has been flying cash — around $400-$500 million at a time — to Baghdad for decades. However, The Wall Street Journal recently reported that the U.S. Treasury had partially suspended...
Policy Briefs
The Persian Gulf is the First Test for ‘Operation Economic Fury’
With a ceasefire in place and a military blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, the Trump administration is now pivoting to economic warfare against the Islamic Republic of Iran. On April 14, the Treasury...
Policy Briefs
The Broken Promise of the Panama Papers, Ten Years On
The scandal thrust financial secrecy into the spotlight. Why is dirty money still such a big problem?
Op-eds
America can bankrupt Iran’s insiders — And it should
Tens of billions of dollars have been siphoned out of the Iranian economy by the Islamic Republic’s insiders over the past decade. If the U.S. wasn’t watching then, it is now. “We...
Op-eds
U.S. Redirects Tehran Regime’s Illicit Wealth to Its Victims
Tehran is getting evicted. For about three decades, the clerical regime has owned prime real estate in Midtown Manhattan. On March 23, the Southern District of New York announced its entry into a settlement...
Policy Briefs
Hezbollah continues exploiting Canadian vehicular theft and money-laundering schemes
Last week, the Canadian government issued its 2025 report assessing money laundering and terrorist financing risks in Canada. The report noted that Hezbollah was using both illicit and otherwise...
Op-eds
Keep the Door Closed to Anonymous Shell Companies
A Comment on FinCEN’s Interim Final Rule Exempting Domestic Companies From Beneficial Ownership Reporting Requirements Under the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA)
Public Comments
Crossroads of Competition
China in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands