ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The United States has sanctioned Iranian banks and companies it says are part of a network financing the Basij paramilitary.
“The Bonyad Taavon Basij network is an example of how the IRGC and Iranian military forces have expanded their economic involvement in major industries, and infiltrated seemingly legitimate businesses to fund terrorism and other malign activities,” said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, announcing the sanctions on Tuesday.
“This vast network provides financial infrastructure to the Basij’s efforts to recruit, train, and indoctrinate child soldiers who are coerced into combat under the IRGC’s direction,” he said.
Iran’s Basij is a voluntary militia established in 1979 and subsequently incorporated into the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC).
The force is frequently used for internal security, during protests, and policing morals as dictated by the Islamic Republic.
The US accused the force of recruiting and training child soldiers, including Afghan refugees, and deploying them to Syria.
The Bonyad Taavon Basij network consists of at least 20 corporations, banks, and shell companies that control billions of dollars to finance the paramilitary’s activities, the US Treasury stated.
“The international community must understand that business entanglements with the Bonyad Taavon Basij network and IRGC front companies have real world humanitarian consequences. This helps fuel the Iranian regime’s violent ambitions across the Middle East,” said Mnuchin.
The financial institutions named as part of the Basij network include Mehr Eqtesad Bank and Bank Mellat.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei addressed a reported 100 thousand-strong crowd of Basij members at Tehran’s Azadi stadium on October 4.
He told them that the Basij, “this great organization,” is now a model being adopted by other countries choosing to look to the youth to solve their national problems.
“We have engaged in many jihads over the past 40 years. In all those jihadi actions, it was the youth of Iran who stood front and solved problems. The youth were the tip of the arrow,” he said.
“The Bonyad Taavon Basij network is an example of how the IRGC and Iranian military forces have expanded their economic involvement in major industries, and infiltrated seemingly legitimate businesses to fund terrorism and other malign activities,” said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, announcing the sanctions on Tuesday.
“This vast network provides financial infrastructure to the Basij’s efforts to recruit, train, and indoctrinate child soldiers who are coerced into combat under the IRGC’s direction,” he said.
Iran’s Basij is a voluntary militia established in 1979 and subsequently incorporated into the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC).
The force is frequently used for internal security, during protests, and policing morals as dictated by the Islamic Republic.
The US accused the force of recruiting and training child soldiers, including Afghan refugees, and deploying them to Syria.
The Bonyad Taavon Basij network consists of at least 20 corporations, banks, and shell companies that control billions of dollars to finance the paramilitary’s activities, the US Treasury stated.
“The international community must understand that business entanglements with the Bonyad Taavon Basij network and IRGC front companies have real world humanitarian consequences. This helps fuel the Iranian regime’s violent ambitions across the Middle East,” said Mnuchin.
The financial institutions named as part of the Basij network include Mehr Eqtesad Bank and Bank Mellat.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei addressed a reported 100 thousand-strong crowd of Basij members at Tehran’s Azadi stadium on October 4.
He told them that the Basij, “this great organization,” is now a model being adopted by other countries choosing to look to the youth to solve their national problems.
“We have engaged in many jihads over the past 40 years. In all those jihadi actions, it was the youth of Iran who stood front and solved problems. The youth were the tip of the arrow,” he said.
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment