WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of the Treasury on Tuesday announced a sweeping set of sanctions targeting Hamas-linked nonprofit organizations, a major Costa Rican cocaine trafficking network, and Iran’s shadow oil fleet, marking one of the most expansive financial enforcement actions of President Donald Trump’s second term.
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said it designated multiple Gaza-based organizations that falsely present themselves as humanitarian charities while secretly operating under the direction of Hamas’s military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades. Treasury officials said the groups used deception to raise funds from international donors, diverting money intended for civilian aid to support terrorism.
“Hamas continues to show a callous disregard for the welfare of the Palestinian people,” said John K. Hurley, Treasury’s under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence. He said the administration would not tolerate exploitation of the global financial system to fund violence.
OFAC also designated the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad, which Treasury said operates as a front organization for Hamas and has been used to expand the group’s political influence abroad. A United Kingdom-based senior official tied to the organization was sanctioned as well, along with multiple entities and individuals connected to its leadership.
Under the sanctions, all property and interests in property of the designated individuals and organizations within U.S. jurisdiction are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them. Treasury warned that foreign financial institutions could face secondary sanctions for knowingly facilitating significant transactions on behalf of sanctioned parties.
In a separate action announced the same day, OFAC designated five Costa Rican nationals and five Costa Rica-based entities accused of trafficking and laundering proceeds from multi-ton cocaine shipments bound for the United States and Europe. Treasury identified Costa Rica as a growing transshipment hub for cocaine and said the sanctioned network played a central role in moving drugs from Colombia through Central America.
“The entire drug trafficking supply chain bears responsibility for American addictions and deaths,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said. He said the sanctions were part of a coordinated effort with U.S. and Costa Rican law enforcement to dismantle transnational criminal organizations.
Treasury also announced new sanctions targeting Iran’s so-called shadow fleet, designating nine vessels and their associated owners or managers for transporting hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Iranian oil and petroleum products in violation of U.S. sanctions. Officials said the revenue from those shipments was diverted to fund Iran’s weapons programs, regional proxy groups, and internal repression.
“The Iranian regime has chosen to support terrorists over its own people,” Bessent said, adding that the administration’s maximum pressure campaign would continue to target the financial lifelines of Tehran’s leadership.
Treasury officials said the combined actions reflect an aggressive enforcement posture aimed at cutting off terrorist financing, disrupting narcotics trafficking networks, and curbing illicit oil sales that undermine U.S. national security and foreign policy objectives.
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