The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned three Hezbollah operatives Thursday for funneling tens of millions of dollars from Iran through Lebanese exchange houses, exploiting the country’s cash-based economy to finance terrorist operations.
The action targets individuals who helped transfer more than $1 billion from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to Hezbollah since January 2025, using both licensed and unlicensed money exchanges.
The sanctions highlight Washington’s effort to cut Hezbollah’s financial lifeline as Lebanon struggles to rebuild its economy and assert government control after years of militia dominance. The move follows Hezbollah’s scramble to reorganize its finances after losing key Syrian support networks.
“Lebanon has an opportunity to be free, prosperous, and secure — but that can only happen if Hezbollah is fully disarmed and cut off from Iran’s funding and control,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John K. Hurley.
Treasury officials warned that Hezbollah’s money laundering through exchange companies continues to threaten Lebanon’s financial system.
Among those sanctioned is Ossama Jaber, a Hezbollah member who collected tens of millions through money changers between September 2024 and February 2025. Some exchanges were owned by or linked to Hezbollah members, according to Treasury.
The designations also include Ja’far Muhammad Qasir, son of deceased Hezbollah finance chief Muhammad Qasir. Ja’far inherited control of the group’s revenue-generating portfolio after his father’s October 2024 death split financial responsibilities among several operatives.
Ja’far worked with his cousin Ali Qasir to recover the Arman 114, an oil tanker seized by Indonesian authorities in 2023. The vessel had transported Iranian crude for a Hezbollah-controlled oil broker.
Treasury also sanctioned Samer Kasbar, director of Hezbollah front company Hokoul SAL Offshore, who collaborated with Syrian businessman Yasar Husayn Ibrahim — a former Assad confidant — on Iranian oil and gas sales benefiting Hezbollah.
The December 2024 collapse of Syria’s Assad regime severely disrupted Hezbollah’s financial operations, long dependent on Syrian intermediaries as a conduit to Tehran.
Thursday’s sanctions freeze all U.S.-based assets of the designated individuals and prohibit Americans from conducting business with them. Foreign banks risk secondary sanctions for significant transactions involving the operatives.
Treasury emphasized that sanctions aim to change behavior, not punish permanently. Individuals may petition for removal from sanctions lists.
The State Department designated Hezbollah as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in 1997, and Treasury has steadily expanded sanctions against the group’s financial networks in recent years.
