WASHINGTON, Dec 8 (Portal) – The Biden government on Thursday imposed sanctions on prominent Turkish businessman Sitki Ayan and his network of companies, accusing him of acting on behalf of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps as an intermediary in oil sales and money laundering.
Ayan’s companies have secured international sales deals for Iranian oil, arranged shipments and helped launder the proceeds, and concealed the origin of Iranian oil on behalf of the Iranian Quds Force, an arm of the IRGC, the Treasury Ministry said in a statement first reported by Portal.
“Ayan has entered into business deals to sell hundreds of millions of dollars worth of Iranian oil to buyers in China, the United Arab Emirates and Europe,” the statement said, adding that he then funneled the proceeds back to the Quds Force .
Ayan’s son Bahaddin Ayan, his associate Kasim Oztas and two other Turkish nationals involved in his business network are also named, along with 26 companies including his ASB group of companies, a Gibraltar-based holding company and a ship.
Ayan, son Bahaddin and Oztas were not immediately available for comment. Ayan’s ASB group and the Turkish Communications Directorate did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Treasury Department’s action freezes all US assets of the designees and generally prohibits Americans from trading them. Those who enter into certain transactions with the Designated Persons also risk sanctions.
The US action comes at a time when relations between the United States and Turkey are strained over a variety of issues, including disagreements over Syria policy and Ankara’s purchase of Russian air defense systems.
Most recently, Washington warned Turkey not to militarily invade northern Syria after Ankara said it was preparing a possible ground invasion against the Syrian-Kurdish YPG militia, which it considers terrorists but control most of the U.S.-led forces supported Syrians constitutes Democratic Forces (SDF).
Washington maintains sweeping sanctions on Iran and has been looking for ways to increase pressure as efforts to revive a 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran have stalled.
US President Joe Biden tried to negotiate Iran’s return to the nuclear deal after former President Donald Trump pulled out of the deal in 2018.
The 2015 deal limited Iran’s uranium enrichment activities to make it harder for Tehran to develop nuclear weapons in exchange for lifting international sanctions. Iran denies that it intends to acquire nuclear weapons.
Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk and Daphne Psaledakis; Additional reporting by Ezgi Erkoyun; Editing by Don Durfee and Howard Goller
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