El Paso Standard

An investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has led to a civil forfeiture complaint involving $47 million in proceeds from the sale of nearly one million barrels of Iranian petroleum. These proceeds are alleged to be linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) or its Qods Force, designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations.

The action was announced by several officials: ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York acting Special Agent in Charge, Michael Alfonso; Sue J. Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division; U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., for the District of Columbia; and FBI Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston, Sr. of the Minneapolis Field Office.

"Through the work of HSI’s Counterproliferation Investigations group, alongside the FBI, the U.S. government has seized $47 million worth of funds allegedly meant for terrorist groups intent on causing catastrophic harm," Michael Alfonso stated. He added that HSI personnel, alongside federal law enforcement, are dedicated to employing all available resources to counter security threats.

The complaint describes a scheme that occurred from 2022 to 2024 to transport, store, and sell Iranian petroleum products to benefit the IRGC and IRGC-QF. The scheme reportedly involved misleading practices, such as disguising the oil as Malaysian and providing falsified documents to Croatian authorities. These transactions were processed through U.S. financial institutions under the assumption that they were unrelated to Iranian oil. The petroleum was sold in 2024, and the proceeds were seized by the United States.

The complaint also claims that the petroleum is the property of the National Iranian Oil Company, which is accused of supporting terrorism by backing the IRGC and IRGC-QF. The complaint alleges that profits from these sales fund various activities including the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and terrorism.

U.S. Attorney Martin emphasized their commitment to enforcing sanctions, saying, "We will aggressively enforce U.S. sanctions against Iran, in furtherance of President Trump’s maximum pressure campaign." He reiterated the message to Iran regarding the difficulty of bypassing U.S. sanctions.

FBI Special Agent Winston stated, "The FBI will not allow hostile regimes to evade U.S. sanctions or exploit our financial systems to fund designated terrorist organizations." He affirmed the FBI's dedication to enforcing U.S. sanctions and protecting national security.

Funds that are successfully forfeited and connected to a state sponsor of terrorism may be allocated partly or wholly to the U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund. The case is currently under investigation by the ICE HSI New York and FBI Minneapolis Field Office.