The fact that Iran is abusing the banking sector and skirting sanctions reflects the lamentable reality we are currently facing when it comes to curbing the regime’s illicit activities. If the international community continues its existing approach, the Islamic Republic will undoubtedly continue to produce and purchase the materials needed to develop nuclear weapons.
Iran’s Dirty Banks: How the Islamic Republic is Skirting International Financial Sanctions offers a sweeping view of the international banks that offer Iran financial services – bank accounts and SWIFT codes are provided as hard evidence – and how, if at all, these banks are tied to the United States. Details are also provided regarding the location of Iranian banks around the globe, including those designated by the UN and United States.
Iranian banks have physical operations throughout Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, in cities such as Baghdad, Beirut, Doha, Dubai, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Hamburg, Istanbul, London, Moscow, Seoul, and Paris. In other words, some of America’s closest allies have publicly claimed that they support sanctions against Iran while at the same time allowing the regime free access to the international financial sector and hard currency.
The U.S. government—and willing global allies—must take a number of crucial steps in order to make nuclear proliferation and other illegal activities as difficult and costly as possible for the Iranian regime. Iran’s Dirty Banks provides a clear guide on how to curb Iran’s abuse of the international banking sector and actionable steps government officials can take in order to achieve measurable policy impact.