US designates Russian bank for helping Iran evade sanctions

The United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has designated Russia’s VTB Bank for aiding Iranian sanctions evasion.

Washington said VTB Bank opened offices successful Iran, built banking ties with sanctioned Iranian fiscal institutions, and worked to determination billions of dollars successful assets.

The U.S. authorities pledged continual targeting of those who supply material, technological, oregon fiscal enactment that allows Iran to “sustain its violent enterprise.”

“Treasury volition not tolerate immoderate enactment to the authorities and volition proceed to identify, expose, and isolate Iran’s enablers,” said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

On Monday, the U.S. Central Command disputed the connection by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards that a Panama-flagged lipid tanker struck a naval excavation successful the Strait of Hormuz.

CENTCOM said the vessel, El Gaia, was deed by an Iranian rocket past period and struck again over the weekend with a drone portion the vessel sat successful waters disconnected the seashore of Oman.

The bid described the IRGC’s assertion arsenic “another illustration of their lies and intimidation attempts portion they effort to impede commercialized vessels successful the strait.”

President Masoud Pezeshkian insists his state cannot beryllium bullied into submission contempt the sustained attacks connected nationalist facilities supplying water, food, and medicine.

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