Washington targets financial network funneling Iranian funds to Hezbollah amid ongoing efforts to curb Tehran’s regional influence
Washington Targets Hezbollah’s Financial Operations
The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced new sanctions on Thursday, November 6, 2025, targeting key Hezbollah operatives accused of channeling tens of millions of dollars from Iran through Lebanon’s cash-based financial system. The measures, imposed by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), aim to weaken Hezbollah’s financial network and support the group’s disarmament.
According to OFAC, Hezbollah has exploited Lebanese money exchange companies to launder funds that Tehran provides for its military activities and to rebuild its terrorist infrastructure. These illicit financial flows blur the line between legitimate commerce and terror financing, threatening the integrity of Lebanon’s fragile economy.
“Lebanon has an opportunity to be free, prosperous, and secure—but that can only happen if Hezbollah is fully disarmed and cut off from Iran’s funding and control,” said John K. Hurley, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. “We will work with our Lebanese partners to create a resilient economy that puts the interests of all Lebanese citizens front and center.”
$1 Billion Transferred from Iran to Hezbollah in 2025
Since January 2025, the U.S.-designated Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps–Quds Force (IRGC-QF) has transferred over $1 billion to Hezbollah, largely through money exchange companies operating inside Lebanon.
One of the sanctioned individuals, Ossama Jaber, a Hezbollah member, played a key role in managing these transfers. Between September 2024 and February 2025, Jaber reportedly collected or converted tens of millions of dollars via exchange companies—many of which were directly linked to Hezbollah members.
Financial Network Restructured After Assad Regime Collapse
Hezbollah’s financial operations suffered a significant setback following the collapse of Syria’s Assad regime in December 2024, which had long served as a logistical and financial bridge between Tehran and Hezbollah. The death of Muhammad Qasir, the group’s longtime finance chief, in October 2024, further disrupted operations and led to a restructuring of its financial network.
Responsibilities once held by Qasir were divided between his son Ja’far Muhammad Qasir and his nephew ‘Ali Qasir, both of whom remain deeply involved in Hezbollah’s economic and oil-trading ventures.
Ja’far, now overseeing Hezbollah’s financial management and revenue-generating portfolio, worked alongside ‘Ali to recover the Arman 114, a U.S.-blocked oil tanker formerly known as Adrian Darya 1, which had been seized by Indonesia in 2023 while carrying Iranian crude under the name of the Hezbollah-linked broker Concepto-Screen S.A.L.
Partnerships with Assad’s Business Network
The Treasury report highlights Hezbollah’s ongoing collaboration with Yasar Husayn Ibrahim, a Syrian businessman and confidant of former dictator Bashar al-Assad. Ibrahim has worked closely with Ja’far Qasir in selling Iranian oil and gas.
In early 2025, Ibrahim offered to coordinate a new business venture with Ja’far, involving either himself or his deputy Samer Kasbar, director of the Hezbollah front company Hokoul SAL Offshore. Kasbar has frequently cooperated with both ‘Ali and Ibrahim in exporting Iranian metals and chemicals.
OFAC designated Ossama Jaber, Ja’far Muhammad Qasir, and Samer Kasbar under Executive Order 13224, as amended, for providing financial and material support to Hezbollah.
Broader Implications and Enforcement
Under the new sanctions, all property and assets belonging to the designated individuals that fall under U.S. jurisdiction are now blocked. U.S. persons are prohibited from engaging in any transactions with them, and entities owned 50% or more by sanctioned persons are also automatically blocked.
The Treasury warned that foreign financial institutions could face secondary sanctions if they knowingly facilitate significant transactions for or on behalf of these individuals. Violations may lead to severe civil or criminal penalties.
OFAC emphasized that the measures reflect Washington’s commitment to protecting Lebanon’s economy from Hezbollah’s exploitation, particularly as the country continues to recover from its 2019 financial collapse.
A Blow to Iran’s Regional Financing Network
The latest sanctions mark another step in Washington’s broader campaign to disrupt Iran regime’s regional financing operations, which have sustained Hezbollah’s paramilitary and political power in Lebanon. With Syria’s regime in collapse and Hezbollah’s financial structure increasingly fragmented, the U.S. Treasury’s move signals a tightening of pressure on Tehran’s proxies across the region.
