On September 25, 2024, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned nine vessels and four entities that support the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (“IRGC-QF”) and Hizballah by participating in the shipment of Iranian crude oil and liquid petroleum gas to Syria and East Asia. OFAC also designated one individual, Luay al-Mallah, for allegedly assisting his brother, Syrian magnate Abdul Jalil Mallah, with the family shipping business. Abdul Jalil Mallah was designated by OFAC in 2021 for supporting the IRGC-QF-backed Houthi financial official Sa’id al-Jamal. According to OFAC, four of the newly sanctioned vessels – the Nova, the Confidence P, the Rival and the Tiyara – are associated with Abdul Jalil Mallah’s fleet.
These designations were imposed pursuant to Executive Order 13224, as amended, which targets terrorist groups and their supporters. As a result of these designations, all property and interests in property of the designated persons within the United States or within the possession or control of a U.S. person are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions involving a designated person. Entities owned 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked.