WASHINGTON-Today, following Iran’s attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned seven individuals and entities involved in an international network supporting weapons procurement efforts on behalf of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The actors designated today exemplify Iran’s use of foreign aviation and transport firms, financial conduits, and travel coordinators to obscure the IRGC’s role in illicit procurement and to move material and personnel globally. OFAC will continue to disrupt the overseas procurement and financial networks that sustain Iran’s weapons production and proliferation efforts, which threaten Americans and U.S. partners and allies worldwide.
“President Trump has been clear that Iran must denuclearize,” said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. “Treasury will continue to target and disrupt the illicit procurement networks that fund Iran’s weapons programs and war machine.”
Today’s action builds on OFAC’s May 8, 2026 and June 10, 2026 designations, which targeted, among others, procurement networks that sourced weapons for the IRGC and Iran’s Center for Innovation and Technology Cooperation (CITC), including man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS). OFAC is acting pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13382, which targets weapons of mass destruction (WMD) proliferators and their supporters. The U.S. Department of State designated the IRGC pursuant to E.O. 13382 in October 2007 in connection with Iran’s ballistic missile program, and today’s action advances National Security Presidential Memorandum 2, which directs the U.S. government to deny the IRGC access to assets and resources that sustain its destabilizing activities.
IRGC PROCUREMENT NETWORK
Iranian national Behrouz Namazi (Namazi) is the general director of Nika Jet Company, a Tehran-based provider of services for the production, distribution, and maintenance of aircraft parts and drones. Namazi has sought to secure weapons on behalf of the IRGC. Nigeria-based Vanguard Tactical Supply Limited (Vanguard Tactical Supply) is an intermediary for Namazi’s efforts, and Milan-based Italian national Dounia Ettaib (Ettaib) is a witting participant in efforts to procure weapons for Namazi.
Russian national Mariya Vladimirovna Selina (Selina) is a longtime procurement agent for Iran. Selina is the head of the financial department at Avratek OOO (Avratek), an aviation transportation company based in Moscow, and has supported Namazi’s procurement efforts on behalf of the IRGC. Russian national Vadim Anatolyevich Druzhbin (Druzhbin) is also an employee at Avratek and has coordinated travel for Namazi and Selina. Druzhbin has previously been involved in coordinating Iranian shipments.
Namazi and Selina are being designated pursuant to E.O. 13382 for having provided, or attempted to provide, financial, material, technological or other support for, or goods or services in support of, the IRGC. Nika Jet is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13382 for being owned or controlled by, or acting or purporting to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Namazi. Vanguard Tactical Supply, Ettaib, and Avratek are being designated pursuant to E.O. 13382 for having provided, or attempted to provide, financial, material, technological or other support for, or goods or services in support of, Namazi. Druzhbin is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13382 for acting or purporting to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Avratek.
SANCTIONS IMPLICATIONS
As a result of today’s action, all property and interests in property of the designated or blocked persons described above that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC. In addition, any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, individually or in the aggregate, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked. Unless authorized by OFAC, or exempt, OFAC’s regulations generally prohibit all transactions by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of blocked persons.
Violations of U.S. sanctions may result in the imposition of civil or criminal penalties on U.S. and foreign persons. OFAC may impose civil penalties for sanctions violations on a strict liability basis. OFAC’s Economic Sanctions Enforcement Guidelines provide more information regarding OFAC’s enforcement of U.S. economic sanctions. In addition, financial institutions and other persons may risk exposure to sanctions for engaging in certain transactions or activities involving designated or otherwise blocked persons. The prohibitions include the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any designated or blocked person, or the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person. Non-U.S. persons are also prohibited from causing or conspiring to cause U.S. persons to wittingly or unwittingly violate U.S. sanctions, as well as engaging in conduct that evades U.S. sanctions. Individuals located in the U.S. or abroad who provide information about sanctions violations to FinCEN’s whistleblower incentive program may be eligible for awards if the information they provide leads to a successful enforcement action that results in monetary penalties exceeding $1,000,000.
Furthermore, engaging in certain transactions involving the persons designated today may risk the imposition of secondary sanctions on participating foreign financial institutions. OFAC can prohibit or impose strict conditions on opening or maintaining, in the United States, a correspondent account or a payable-through account of a foreign financial institution that knowingly conducts or facilitates any significant transaction on behalf of a person who is designated pursuant to the relevant authority.