Conscripted, condemned: how a Canadian ban punishes Iran's forced recruits

Hassan Jafari allegedly funnelled funds through a network linked to a senior Houthi financial official who was also sanctioned on Wednesday, according to a statement by the US treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

"Turkiye-based Iranian money launderer Hassan Jafari has worked with Hushang and Sa’id al-Jamal to launder dollars on behalf of Sa’id al-Jamal’s network, enabling the network’s sanctions evasion schemes," the statement read.

"Jafari also arranged payments worth millions of dollars in support of shipments benefiting the Houthis."

The network is backed by IRGC's Quds Force, according to the US treasury, and has facilitated the purchase of commodities from Russia, including weapons, sensitive goods, and stolen Ukrainian grain, for shipment to Houthi-controlled Yemen.

Edalaat-e Ali, a group that has previously leaked surveillance footage and official documents, said the Law Enforcement Command of the Islamic Republic authorized the distribution of over 3,000 pistols to senior government officials.

The weapons, including stun guns and pepper spray, were issued following a clearance process involving three levels of vetting.

"This extraordinary move reveals the extent to which Iran’s leadership anticipates retaliatory action from its own citizens," Edalaat-e Ali wrote on X, saying the measure stemmed from fears that officials would be identified in future uprisings.

The group’s report could not be immediately verified by Iran International, but Iran has seen mounting tensions over economic hardship, water scarcity and political repression in recent months.

According to security sources cited by Edaalat-e Ali, personnel within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Intelligence Ministry had already received similar equipment for years.

The report surfaced shortly after farmers in central Iran torched a water transfer station in Isfahan province, disrupting supply to Yazd, amid a long-running dispute over access to the Zayandeh Rud river.

In January, two Supreme Court judges and clerics Mohammad Moghiseh and Ali Razini, both were shot dead in Tehran in a rare deadly attack on senior officials.

The assailant, a staff member responsible for refreshments at Iran's judiciary headquarters, committed suicide after the shooting. The judges were stalwart ideologues who had handed down harsh sentences on dissidents for decades.

“If the enemies think they can instigate sedition within the country, the Iranian nation itself will respond,” said Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Monday.

Security directives have tightened nationwide, particularly at police stations and military facilities, according to the hacktivist group.

Edalaat-e Ali added that daily visitor numbers are now capped and ammunition stores reduced, citing fears that weapons could fall into civilian hands in case of a takeover.

The Iranian government’s response to public dissatisfaction has largely been marked by repression, including what happened in the wake of the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody in September 2022.

The tragedy triggered widespread protests across the country under the slogan “Woman, Life, Freedom".

What began as outrage over Amini’s death rapidly transformed into a broader movement against the government, driven by long-standing political and social grievances. Authorities responded with mass arrests and a forceful crackdown, leading to over 500 deaths among demonstrators, according to rights groups and the United Nations.

Despite the efforts to silence dissent, the likelihood of future unrest remains high, not least as at least one third of the country now lives below the poverty line.

Years of economic mismanagement, widespread corruption, and the weight of international sanctions have deepened crises like fuel shortages and power outages, compounding public anger.

The government’s reluctance to raise fuel prices—mindful of the deadly 2019 protests—highlights its recognition of the growing risk of renewed demonstrations.

Rep. Michael Lawler, who chairs the Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, opened the hearing titled “A Return to Maximum Pressure: Comprehensively Countering the Iranian Regime’s Malign Activities,” by contrasting the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” approach with what he called a dangerously lenient stance under President Biden.

“Joe Biden’s foreign policy decisions in the Middle East were ill conceived, disorganized, and at times fatal, including for US service members,” Lawler said.

He charged that Biden “left the world more volatile and less safe than he found it,” accusing his administration of “appeasing terrorists and enabling an “unholy alliance” between Iran, Russia, and China, with policies resulting in higher revenue flows from oil sales and an accelerated nuclear program.

He called for a crackdown on Iran’s oil exports—especially to China—arguing that “a nuclear Iran is not an option.” Lawler warned that “one way or another, Iran’s nuclear ambitions are finished,” and praised the Trump administration for “restoring the much-needed and most effective maximum pressure campaign.”

Norman Roule, a former US intelligence official and current advisor at CSIS, laid out the scope of the threat. 

“Iran now appears capable of producing its first quantity of 90% enriched uranium, sufficient for one nuclear weapon in about a week. Tehran's current stockpile of 60% enriched uranium is sufficient for about seven nuclear weapons,” he said.

Roule warned that Iran’s military allies such as Hezbollah in Lebanon remain dangerous despite recent setbacks. “The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force aims to revive these groups,” he said, pointing to Iran’s attempts to reestablish influence in the Red Sea via Sudan as Iran's Houthi militia in Yemen continues its maritime blockade and attacks on US vessels.

“Iran looks like a country building a nuclear weapons program,” he said, although it “has yet to make the final steps required because it either fears discovery and the subsequent military consequences or believes its current approach offers diplomatic advantages.”

Claire Jungman of United Against Nuclear Iran focused on Iran’s financial backbone.
“Despite US sanctions, Iran continues to export over 1.5 million barrels of oil per day, earning tens of billions of dollars annually,” she said.

“These revenues are not just supporting Iran's economy, they are directly funding terrorism, nuclear escalation and regional destabilization.”

She emphasized the central role of the IRGC, adding, “Up to half of Iran's oil exports are now controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

“Every barrel of Iranian oil sold on the black market strengthens the IRGC’s hand bankrolling groups like Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis.”

Jungman called for a sweeping enforcement campaign. “Sanction every vessel, registry, insurer, captain and port that helps move Iranian oil,” she urged.

“Cutting off the money is our best tool to constrain Iran's most dangerous activities.”

Dana Stroul, Director of research at the Washington Institute, argued the time is ripe for decisive action. “The Iranian regime is on its back foot,” she said. “The pillars of its security strategy… are more vulnerable today than at any time in the history of the regime.”

She urged combining diplomacy with a credible military threat. “The administration must keep its military options open by maintaining a robust US military posture in the region,” she said.

“Real opportunities exist to block Iran from pursuing a nuclear weapons capability… but the United States must lean into diplomacy as well.”

Witnesses and lawmakers alike agreed that Iran is under pressure, but without sustained enforcement, the opportunity to constrain its ambitions may be lost.

US President Donald Trump on Sunday warned of bombing Iran if Tehran fails to reach a deal over its nuclear program.

"If they don't make a deal, there will be bombing — and it will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before," Trump was quoted as saying during a phone interview with NBC News' Kristen Welker.

Trump on Friday also warned that “bad, bad things” would happen if Tehran did not agree to a nuclear deal.

Last month, Trump signed a directive restoring the so-called maximum pressure policy on Iran of his first term and warned of "catastrophic" consequences if Tehran does not make a deal on its nuclear program.

Trump's maximum pressure approach in his first term beginning in 2018 pummeled Iran's economy, causing a dramatic decline in oil exports and skyrocketing inflation.

“From March 14 to March 31, we recorded 704 deaths from 582 fatal crashes,” said Brigadier General Teymour Hosseini, head of Iran’s Traffic Police.

“In the same period, more than 16,000 people were injured, and we registered over 84,000 accidents overall.”

Traffic officials say 400 million vehicle movements were logged during the holiday period. Provinces with the highest death tolls included Kerman with 65 fatalities, followed by Fars, Khorasan Razavi, Khuzestan, and Sistan and Baluchestan.

Police attribute nearly half of fatal crashes to drivers failing to keep their eyes on the road. Sudden lane changes and loss of vehicle control each accounted for another 15 percent of deadly incidents.

Every year, the Nowruz holidays (Mid-March to early April) witness hundreds of deaths on Iran's roads as the country's population embarks on journeys for the festive season.

A combination of factors, including poor road conditions, inadequate vehicle domestically made vehicle quality and maintenance, as well as dangerous driving practices, contribute to making the period the most fatal of the year for Iranian citizens.

While poor road conditions and poor vehicle quality are significant factors contributing to road accidents, Iranian authorities often attribute the majority of incidents to human factors, placing blame on drivers.

However, concerns persist regarding the need for comprehensive measures to address the underlying causes of road accidents and enhance road safety across the country.

The move marks part of a stepped-up enforcement effort under a recent presidential directive ordering a “maximum pressure” campaign of sanctions on Tehran.

“Iran’s proliferation of UAVs and missiles—both to its terrorist proxies in the region and to Russia for its use against Ukraine—continues to threaten civilians, US personnel, and our allies and partners,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.

“Treasury will continue to disrupt Iran’s military-industrial complex and its proliferation of UAVs, missiles, and conventional weapons that often end up in the hands of destabilizing actors, including terrorist proxies,” he added in a statement.

“The United States will use all available means to expose and disrupt Iran’s growing UAV and missile development programs and weapons proliferation,” the State Department said in support of the sanctions. “We will continue to act against the complex schemes Iran uses in third countries to conceal its acquisition and its transfers of sensitive technology.”

"We will continue to act against the complex schemes Iran uses in third countries to conceal its acquisition and its transfers of sensitive technology. Iran uses this technology and the proceeds from arms sales to bolster its military industrial base to build missiles and UAVs, which are used against fellow countries, as well as exported to Russia, terrorist proxy groups around the Middle East, and to other actors of concern," added Tammy Bruce, the State Department Spokesperson.

The designated entities include Rah Roshd, an Iran-based supplier linked to the Mohajer-6 drone, and Chinese manufacturer Zibo Shenbo, which allegedly shipped tens of thousands of motors to Iran. UAE firms, including Infracom and Diamond Castle, were named as intermediaries.

The sanctions freeze US-based assets and bar transactions with US persons. Concurrently, the Justice Department charged two Iranians with conspiring to smuggle US technology to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Iranian transnational paramilitary group the US classifies as a foreign terrorist organization.

Western powers accuse Iran of providing drones and missiles to Russia for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Iranian drones have repeatedly been deployed in attacks on Ukraine’s infrastructure and other civilian targets. The Shahed 136 drone is typically launched alongside cruise and ballistic missile attacks to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses.