An Israeli website revealed that Iran relies on a complex financial network that extends to influential figures with family connections in a number of European countries, with the aim of establishing what resembles “parallel banks” that allow it to bypass international sanctions, continue exporting oil, circulating money, and financing its nuclear program, in addition to supporting its allies in the region, such as Hezbollah andAnsar Allah (Houthis).
According to a report by the “Natsiv” website, this unconventional financial network is managed through a complex system of intermediaries and hidden companies, a large part of which includes families with economic and political influence, classified in some Western studies as part of what is known as the “oligarchy,” that is, a limited class that controls the joints of money and power within the state.
Western reports indicate that the power of these elites usually stems from the accumulation of wealth, family expansion, security and military influence, or control over strategic and vital sectors of the economy.
The report also reported, based on data from US Department of Treasury And the Financial Crimes Enforcement Authority FinCENNetworks linked to Iran in Europe have succeeded in passing billions of dollars through legitimate banking channels in the West, without the full ability to trace the source of this money.
In the face of this, the West, led by the US Treasury Department, is waging an ongoing campaign of sanctions and financial measures, as part of what is described as “economic pressure,” with the aim of dismantling these networks. However, the report indicates that this system adapts quickly, by constantly creating new companies and changing their operational structures, which keeps them ahead of the control mechanisms.
He adds that this network operates through multiple levels of camouflage, most notably the use of front companies legally registered outside Iran, which appear to be active in normal commercial fields such as food, consumer goods and cosmetics, while they are actually used as channels to transfer money towards companies linked to the state andIranian Revolutionary Guard.
It also relies on indirect transfer systems such as “hawala” and exchange networks inside and outside Iran, which makes tracking the movement of money more complicated, as it does not always pass through traditional bank transfers.
According to the report, fake companies also open accounts in local banks in various countries, which in turn are linked to “correspondent accounts” in major banks in financial cities such as New York, London, and Zurich, allowing funds to pass through the global financial system under the guise of legal trade.
In addition, information indicates that Iran is using a growing infrastructure in the field of cryptocurrencies, which includes mining Bitcoin within the country, taking advantage of stable currencies such as “Tether,” to make payments to foreign suppliers, and bypassing the international financial transfer system “SWIFT.”
