Info:
Large Iranian state-owned bank;
Bank Sepah is being designated on November 5, 2018, pursuant to E.O. 13382 for having provided, or attempted to provide, financial, material, technological, or other support for, or goods or services in support of, MODAFL. As of 2017, Bank Sepah served as a financial platform for MODAFL to pay its agents abroad;
Bank of Industry and Mine (BIM), Europaisch-Iranische Handelsbank AG (EIH), Post Bank of Iran, Bank Tejarat are designated on November 5, 2018, pursuant to E.O. 13382 for having provided, or attempted to provide, financial, material, technological, or other support for, or goods or services in support of, Bank Sepah;
According to the U.S. Treasury Department:
The “bank of choice” of Iran’s Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO), and as a “financial conduit” for acquiring sensitive materials for Iran’s missile program from abroad;
Arranges financing and processes multi-million dollar transactions for AIO and its subordinates, and serves as a provider of key financial services to AIO subsidiaries Shahid Hemmat Industries Group (SHIG) and Shahid Bakeri Industries Group (SBIG), both SHIG and SBIG were identified by the U.N. Security Council as entities involved in Iran’s ballistic missile program;
In 2005 financed the sale of missile related items from a Chinese firm to Iran and transferred more than $500,000 on behalf of AIO to a North Korean firm associated with the Korea Mining Development Trading Bureau (KOMID), which has been described by the Treasury Department as “North Korea’s chief ballistic missile-related exporter.”;
Operates some 1,700 domestic branches, three branches abroad in Paris, Rome and Frankfurt, and one wholly-owned subsidiary, Bank Sepah International Plc, in London;
“Affiliated companies” have included Omid Investment Management Company (OIM Co) and Bank Sepah Brokerage Company (BSB Co), together with OIM Co and BSB Co, owns over 50 percent of shares of the Sepah Investment Company;
Industry:
Banking sector
Financial services
Type:
Government-owned corporation
Involved In:
Nuclear Weapon Program
Missile Weapon Program
Also Known:
Army Bank
Established:
1925
Country:
Iran
Address:
-Emam Khomeini Square, P.O. Box 11364, Tehran, Iran
-P.O. Box 11364-9569, Tehran, Iran
Person of interests:
Mohammadkazem Chaghazardi (Chairman and Managing Director);
Hamed Heyat;
Hamidreza Khatibi;
Esa Kazemnezhad;
Hadi Akhlaghi;
Ahmad Derakhshandeh;
Reason for the color:
» Added to the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list maintained by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on November 5, 2018 pursuant to Executive Order 13382 for having provided, or attempted to provide, financial, material, technological, or other support for, or goods or services in support of, MODAFL;
» Listed by the British government in 2015 as an entity of potential concern for WMD-related procurement;
» Listed in an annex to U.N. Security Council resolution 1747 of March 24, 2007, as an entity involved in Iran’s nuclear or ballistic missile activities; removed from the U.N. list by the U.N. Security Council on January 17, 2016;
» Listed by the European Union on April 20, 2007, pursuant to U.N. Security Council resolution 1747;
» Removed from the E.U. list on January 22, 2016 following the removal of U.N. sanctions;
» Removed from the List of Specially Designated,by the Office of Foreign Assets Control on Implementation Day under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, January 19 2016;
» Treasury sanctioned Bank Sepah in 2007 because of the large role it was playing in Iran’s missile program;
» Bank Sepah is AIO’s bank of choice, and since at least 2000, Sepah has provided a variety of critical financial services to Iran’s missile industry;
According to the U.S. Treasury Department, arranges financing and processes multi-million dollar transactions for AIO and its subordinates, and serves as a provider of key financial services to AIO subsidiaries Shahid Hemmat Industries Group (SHIG) and Shahid Bakeri Industries Group (SBIG);