The United States escalated its financial pressure on Iran Tuesday by slapping terror sanctions on the head of its central bank and barring anyone around the world from doing business with him, underscoring President Donald Trump’s hard line after his withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear accord upset European allies. In the sanctions announced Tuesday, Mr. Seif and Ali Tarzali, the assistant director of the international department at the bank, were named as “specially designated global terrorists.” The Treasury Department also sanctioned the al-Bilad Islamic Bank and its chairman and chief executive, Aras Habib. British, French and German foreign ministers met in Brussels on Tuesday to try to find a way to save the nuclear deal without the United States, but appeared hard-pressed over how their companies could continue doing business with Iran once Washington begins to reimpose sanctions. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on Iran’s central bank governor, Valiollah Seif, and Iraq-based Al-Bilad Islamic Bank for “moving millions of dollars” for Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard Corps, as Washington seeks to cut off funding for what it says is Iran’s malign activities in the Middle East. In the second move in a week taking aim at the money networks of the Revolutionary Guards, or IRGC, the US Treasury also blacklisted a second central bank official, Iraq's Al-Bilad Islamic Bank and its top two executives, and a liaison between IRGC and Hezbollah, which Washington has designated an international terrorist group.
The United States Treasury Department announces new sanctions on Iran central bank governor Valiollah Seif and assistant director Ali Tarzali for allegedly helping the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Quds Force support Hezbollah.