U.S. Sanctions Turkish Airline and Others in New Round Against IRGC Affiliates

Today, the U.S. Treasury announced the sanction of "five Iran- and Türkiye-based individuals and a company affiliated with the IRGC-QF, along with two senior officials of the IRGC's Intelligence Organization (IRGC-IO), who have been involved in plotting external lethal operations against civilians including journalists and activists.".IRGC-QF official Mohammad Reza Ansari (Ansari), Shahram Poursafi (Poursafi), an Iranian national, and Hossein Hafez Amini (Amini), a dual Iranian and Turkish national based in Türkiye, have all been sanctioned in addition to his business, Rey Airlines. Rey Havacilik Ithalat Ihracat Sanayi Ve Ticaret Anonim Sirketi (Rey Airlines) is accused of aiding these men and other carry out illegal assassination plots abroad and kidnappings, targetting regime adversaries. According to their website, Rey Airlines "has targeted customer satisfaction in all areas such as Air Carriage, Maintenance and Repair, Aircraft Management, Rental, and so on." It is based in Istanbul, Turkey..The IRGC has close links to Rey, apparently a murky front company with a fake website created in 2015. Available records show that Rey was incorporated in South Africa, but its website shows an Istanbul address..IRGC Intelligence Organization (IO) agents Rouhallah Bazghandi (Bazghandi) and Reza Seraj (Seraj) are also being sanctioned for orchestrating failed assassination attempts on UI.S. and Israeli citizens in Africa and beyond..According to the Treasury, these sanctions entail:."All property and interests in property of the individuals and entities named above, and of any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, 50 percent or more by them, individually, or with other blocked persons, that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons, must be blocked and reported to OFAC. Unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC or otherwise exempt, OFAC's regulations generally prohibit all transactions by U.S. persons or within the United States (including transactions transiting the United States) that involve any property or interests in property of designated or otherwise blocked persons. The prohibitions include the making or receiving of any contribution of funds, goods, or services to or for the benefit of those persons."