US Hits Russian Company A7 with New Iran-Related Sanctions

The US Treasury Department on Thursday imposed new penalties on Russian financial company A7 on accusations that it has been used to help Iran evade sanctions. The Treasury Department in a statement described how the FinTech firm developed a network of companies based in third countries to help Iran, as well as other sanctioned people and companies, evade US sanctions.

Washington said the A7 Network created a web of so-called sub-agents, which are companies designed to disguise payments linked to sanctioned people and sectors as ordinary commercial activity. "In addition, A7 Network sub-agents have been used to facilitate Iranian oil sales and weapons procurement efforts," Treasury said.

It detailing how A7 dealt with companies involved in Iran's "shadow fleet" network, which carries and sells sanctioned Iranian oil. Recent reporting from The New York Times and Financial Times uncovered how the Kremlin-backed FinTech company funnelled more than US$6.9 billion through the international system despite sanctions placed on Russia. Parts of the A7 network had sanctions imposed against them in 2025.

The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control also placed sanctions on the A7 Network as a "significant transnational criminal organisation", which is defined as a group of people involving one or more foreign persons who engage or enable a pattern of serious criminal activity in two or more foreign states, or one foreign state and the US, presenting a threat to US national security, foreign policy or economy.

The department said that as of January 2026, the A7 Network claimed to have processed more than 2,000 transactions a day with a total volume of more than 7.5 trillion roubles (US$90 billion), or about 13% of Russia's 2025 foreign trade transactions.

Thursday's move was the latest in Washington's "Operation Economic Outcast", the most recent front in the Trump administration's campaign to apply economic pressure on Tehran as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict remain at an impasse.

The US has previously threatened to cut off companies and countries that are found to continue engaging in business with Iran from the dollar-based global financial system. “Today’s action targeting A7 continues Treasury’s unprecedented efforts to isolate Iran and its financial enablers and sends a clear message that if you facilitate illicit finance for America’s adversaries, you will lose access to the US financial system," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said. The Treasury Department also took aim at parts of Iran's industrial infrastructure, including its rail, mining and automotive sectors. - The National