US Sanctions Russia’s VTB Bank Over Iran Ties, Warns Foreign Banks
The United States has imposed new sanctions on Russia’s VTB Bank, accusing one of the country’s largest lenders of helping Iran evade US sanctions through banking relationships and payment arrangements.
The Treasury Department said on September 14 that VTB had established correspondent relationships with sanctioned Iranian financial institutions, opened offices in Iran, taken steps to facilitate trade, and helped move billions of dollars in Iranian assets.
The move is part of Washington’s expanding “Operation Economic Outcast,” a campaign launched last month to identify and disrupt the networks Iran uses to generate revenue, evade sanctions, and finance the government and its regional allies.
Russia’s second-largest financial institution, VTB was already under extensive US sanctions over Moscow’s war on Ukraine.
The latest designation targets the bank under Iran sanctions authorities, potentially increasing the risks for foreign financial institutions that continue to do business with it.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington would continue targeting institutions that provide financial or technological support to Iran and warned that foreign banks facilitating sanctions evasion could face secondary sanctions.
The move comes after a series of recent US actions against companies and financial networks in Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and elsewhere as Washington seeks to close alternative channels available to Tehran.
On September 10, Treasury also shifted its policy toward a presumption of denial for most Iran-related specific license applications.
Brett Erickson, a sanctions and financial-crime expert at Obsidian Risk Advisors, told RFE/RL that the latest measure could have a limited immediate effect compared with the global effects of the ongoing US war with Iran, which has fueled a surge in oil prices and rattled financial markets.
“Another incremental sanctions measure may shorten Tehran’s runway at the margins, but that is a terrible trade when the broader global crisis is consuming the world’s economic timeline by the mile,” Erickson said.
White House Rejects UN Report Alleging US War Crimes In Iran
The White House has rejected a report by a UN independent fact-finding mission that said there were reasonable grounds to believe the United States had committed war crimes during two air strikes in Iran.
The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran said in a report released on September 17 that there were reasonable grounds to believe US forces committed the war crime of launching indiscriminate attacks during strikes on a school in Minab and a sports facility in Lamerd on February 28.
The two strikes killed at least 178 civilians, including women and children, according to the mission. The Minab strike hit the Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School and killed more than 150 people, including about 120 schoolchildren.
A separate strike on a sports complex and surrounding residential area in Lamerd killed 22 civilians.
In a scathing written response to the report, White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly rejected the findings, saying: "The only party in this conflict that has committed war crimes is the Iranian regime, which has murdered thousands of its own people, killed Americans overseas, executed acts of terrorism in the Strait of Hormuz, and launched indiscriminate attacks against its neighbors in the region."
Kelly also said the UN Human Rights Council had "accomplished nothing for human rights while spouting unserious nonsense for decades."
US officials have repeatedly said military operations are conducted in accordance with the law of armed conflict and that an investigation is ongoing.
The report is scheduled to be formally presented to the 47-member UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on September 21.
The mission also found reasonable grounds to believe that Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity during their crackdown on nationwide protests in December-January. It cited unlawful killings, arbitrary detention, torture, and other inhumane acts committed as part of a widespread and systematic attack against civilians.
IRGC Says It Struck Another Oil Tanker In Strait of Hormuz
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy said on September 18 that it had struck another oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, setting the vessel on fire and forcing it to stop.
In a statement, the IRGC identified the tanker as the Trend, sailing under the Togolese flag. It said the vessel was struck on the night of September 17 while attempting what Iran described as an "illegal" passage through the vital waterway.
The IRGC said the tanker caught fire and was stopped. It did not provide information about the vessel's crew, cargo, possible casualties, or its current condition.
There was no immediate independent confirmation of the reported strike or fire.
Within the past 24 hours, the UK Maritime Trade Operations Organization (UKMTO) has issued three reports of security incidents involving vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, including one involving "a tanker being hit by an unknown projectile causing a fire onboard which has since been extinguished."
"All crew are reported safe and environmental impact is unconfirmed at present," the UKMTO added.
It remains unclear whether any of the UKMTO incidents involved the same vessel identified by the IRGC as the Trend.
The IRGC Navy said it maintains control of the Strait of Hormuz and warned that vessels attempting what it considers illegal passage would face destruction.
The United States has disputed Iran's claims of control over the waterway and has been assisting commercial vessels navigating the strait amid the conflict.
South Korea Rules Out Military Involvement in Iran War
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has ruled out sending troops or military assets to the Middle East in a way that would involve Seoul in the war with Iran, but said South Korea may take measures to protect commercial shipping and oil shipments through the region.
"Let it be clear: There will be no dispatch of troops that will lead to involvement in a conflict. There will be no engagement or involvement in war," Lee said at a televised press conference on September 18.
He said South Korea would maintain the principle of not dispatching military assets in a way that could involve it in the conflict.
Lee said Seoul nevertheless needed to conduct "the minimum level of activities" to protect South Korean citizens and the transportation route for crude oil, as other countries are doing.
South Korea has been considering whether to contribute military assets to efforts to secure the Strait of Hormuz amid US pressure. Lee's comments clarified that any such measures would not involve South Korea in the war.
In a phone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi on September 11, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun stressed Seoul's continued participation in international efforts to ensure freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. The call was made at Araqchi's request.
On September 7, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei warned that any foreign military presence or participation in operations in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz would be regarded as direct support for the aggressor and would have "serious consequences."
Trump Says He Faces Decision On Whether to 'Annihilate' Iranian Regime
US President Donald Trump said on September 17 that he is approaching a major decision over whether the United States should resume large-scale attacks against Iran.
Speaking to Axios, Trump said: "I have a big decision coming up. Do I want to go in and annihilate them [the Iranian regime] or do I not? It's a big decision. Anything could happen with me."
The comments came ahead of a planned meeting between Trump and leaders of the six Gulf states -- Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman -- on September 22 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
Axios reported that the meeting could help shape the next phase of the war, including whether diplomacy resumes or military action escalates. Trump said he wanted to hear directly from regional leaders about the next steps.
"I want to know what their situation is and how they are doing. We have been providing them with a lot of support and protection," he told Axios.
Trump also said he was "very pleased" that the US blockade had prevented Iranian oil exports.
"Since we started, not a single ship has gone to Iran. They tried and we blew them up," he said, according to Axios.
Trump has also said Iran contacted his government and was "very keen" to reach an agreement, and expressed hope that the war was nearing an end. Iran's Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei, however, rejected talks on September 15, saying: "No talks until Iran's conditions are met. Period!"
Iran Expels Swedish Diplomat In Response Expulsion Of Embassy Employee In Stockholm
Iran's Foreign Ministry on September 17 gave a Swedish diplomat in Tehran 48 hours to leave the country.
The move came after the Swedish government on September 16 expelled an employee of the Iranian Embassy in Stockholm and summoned Iran's ambassador to the Foreign Ministry.
According to the Swedish government, the Iranian embassy employee was expelled for taking actions "incompatible with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations."
Swedish Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer said the decision was related to alleged Iranian activities targeting Jewish and Israeli interests in Sweden. Swedish authorities have also raised concerns about alleged Iranian activities against opposition figures.
Iran rejected Sweden's allegations and condemned the expulsion of the Iranian diplomat as unjustified. The Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned Sweden's ambassador to Tehran to lodge a formal protest and informed him that a Swedish diplomat had been ordered to leave within 48 hours.
The expulsions mark a reciprocal diplomatic escalation between Sweden and Iran, with each country taking action against a diplomat or embassy employee of the other within a day of the other's decision.
US Allows Iranian Delegation To Attend UN Assembly In New York
The United States has allowed an Iranian delegation to attend the UN General Assembly in New York next week, even as the seven-month-old war between the two countries continues.
"Consistent with our host country obligations, the core delegation from the Iranian regime will be able to attend UN General Assembly High Level Week," the State Department said in a September 17 statement.
However, it added that the delegation would be smaller than last year's and that its members would face travel restrictions and prohibitions on purchases of luxury goods and other products in the United States.
The move comes as negotiations between Washington and Tehran have effectively stalled in recent months, with US and Iranian forces exchanging strikes and key issues in the conflict remaining unresolved.
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandab Strait off Yemen remains restricted and under threat from attacks by Iran and Yemen's Tehran-aligned Houthi rebels, while disputes over Tehran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs pose another obstacle to a negotiated agreement.
On September 17, Iran’s allies, Russia and China, vetoed a UN Security Council proposal to extend the mandate of the panel of experts monitoring nuclear-related sanctions against Iran.
With reporting by Reuters.
US Sanctions Iranian Crypto Exchange Over Hormuz Payments
The United States imposed sanctions on an Iranian cryptocurrency exchange controlled by sanctioned financier Babak Zanjani on September 17, accusing it of processing payments linked to safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz and channeling hundreds of millions of dollars to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said Iran’s Hormuz Safe Marine Services Authority had used BitBank since June to transfer payments it received to the Iranian government.
Between June and July, Zanjani used the exchange to facilitate transfers of hundreds of millions of dollars in Bitcoin to the IRGC, OFAC said.
“Today’s designations of Iranian digital asset infrastructure make perfectly clear that efforts to finance the Iranian regime using cryptocurrencies are not beyond OFAC’s reach,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said. “If you support the Iranian regime, the Department of the Treasury will sanction you.”
OFAC also designated BitBank software developer Pishtaz Simorgh Electronic Trade Company and three Zanjani associates -- Hossein Ali Zaker Hossein, Mohammad Mahdi Zaker Hossein, and Seyed Adel Heidari.
Zanjani, a longtime figure in Iranian sanctions-evasion networks, was sentenced to death for embezzlement in 2016 before his sentence was commuted in 2024. He later reemerged as a backer of government-linked economic projects.
In January, Washington sanctioned Zanjani and two of his digital-asset projects, accusing them of laundering money for the IRGC, and in July targeted nine more companies linked to him in Iran, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
With reporting by Reuters
Billions Go Missing From Iran's Secret Oil Cash Network
Billions of dollars in oil revenue are missing from Iran’s coffers. At the center of the scandal are shadowy middlemen known as "trustees" who help Tehran sell oil, steel, petrochemicals, and other goods abroad while bypassing international sanctions. But the middlemen Iran used have not all been handing over the sales revenues -- instead, many have absconded with it, to the tune of over $11 billion. Roya Maleki from RFE/RL's Negah-e-Farda (Iran Tomorrow) program explains. (Video by RFE/RL's Radio Farda, Roya Maleki, and Will Tizard)
Iran Human Rights Organization Documents Over 4,000 People Killed In January Protests
The Iranian Human Rights group (IHRNGO) has published a list documenting more than 4,200 people it says were killed during the mass nationwide protests in Iran that began in late December 2025 and continued into January. The organization said the list was compiled after months of collecting and cross-checking information, verifying victims' identities and reviewing extensive documentary evidence.
According to the Norway-based IHRNGO, at least 420 women and 281 people under the age of 18 are among those documented. Twenty-five victims were under 14, while the youngest identified victim was 4 1/2 months old. The organization stressed that its figure of more than 4,200 represents only the deaths it has been able to document and identify and should not be regarded as a final death toll.
IHRNGO said nationwide Internet and communications shutdowns, pressure on victims’ families, and limited access to hospitals and forensic facilities have hindered efforts to establish the full scale of the killings.
Iranian authorities previously announced that 3,117 people had died during the protests. IHRNGO says its investigation found that the official list was incomplete, including names appearing on some provincial lists and in state media that were absent from the list held by the President’s Office.
The organization identified January 8 and 9 as the deadliest days, saying 3,356 documented deaths occurred during that period. Amnesty International has independently documented widespread shootings by security forces during the crackdown, including from streets and rooftops, and reported that protesters were frequently shot in the head and upper torso.
IHRNGO also reported at least 29 executions linked to the protests and identified 100 protesters sentenced to death, while warning that the actual figures could be higher. The organization said verification of its list remains ongoing.
UN Fact-Finding Mission Finds Grounds To Investigate Possible US War Crimes
Following the US and Israeli military strikes on February 28, the United Nations' Fact-Finding Mission found "reasonable grounds" to believe the United States committed a war crime in carrying out indiscriminate attacks that caused civilian deaths and injuries, as well as damage to civilian infrastructure.
In a report released on September 17, the UN mission said the incidents identified were Tomahawk missile strikes against the clearly marked Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Minab, which killed more than 150 people, including approximately 120 children.
US officials have repeatedly said military operations are conducted in accordance with the law of armed conflict and that an investigation is ongoing. In June, US President Donald Trump said “nobody did that on purpose” and it was "under investigation.” A final conclusive report on any findings has yet to be published.
"Unlike Iran, the United States never targets civilians, and we will continue to act with precision, targeting only those who threaten us and our allies, and we will not relent," Sean Parnell, assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs, wrote on X in March, days after reports of the school bombing first emerged.
In a separate attack in Lamerd, the UN experts said, precision strike missiles released clouds of tungsten pellets over a clearly identifiable sports complex and nearby residential area, killing 22 civilian men and women.
US Central Command said in March that US forces did not launch any strikes into Lamerd on February 28 and that video circulating of the attack did not show a precision strike missile.
The report also concluded that the Iranian government's violent repression of the December-January protests marked an unprecedented escalation from past crackdowns, marked by the widespread use of lethal force resulting in mass killings and injuries, and extensive arrests.
The mission said that many of these gross violations amount to crimes against humanity, including murder, imprisonment, torture, and other inhumane acts committed by Iranian authorities as part of a widespread and systematic attack on civilians.
The Fact-Finding Mission called on Iran and the United States to immediately end all violations and alleged crimes, provide full reparations to victims, and take steps to prevent similar incidents from occurring again. It also called for an immediate cessation of hostilities, renewed diplomatic efforts by UN Member States to pursue lasting peace, and accountability by third states through the use of universal jurisdiction.