WASHINGTON — Today, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), in coordination with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), is imposing sanctions on three Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) officials who were involved in the abduction, detention, and probable death of former FBI Special Agent Robert A. “Bob” Levinson. The individuals designated today, Reza Amiri Moghadam, Gholamhossein Mohammadnia, and Taqi Daneshvar, all played a role in Mr. Levinson’s abduction, probable death, and Iran’s efforts to cover up or obfuscate their responsibility. This action follows the December 2020 OFAC designations of two Iranian MOIS officers, Mohammad Baseri and Ahmad Khazai, who acted in their capacity as MOIS officers in Mr. Levinson’s abduction, detention, and probable death.
“Iran’s treatment of Mr. Levinson remains a blight on Iran’s already grim record of human rights abuse,” said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. “The Department of the Treasury will continue to work with U.S. government partners to identify those responsible and shine a light on their abhorrent behavior.”
“Today’s action by our partners at the Department of the Treasury demonstrates that we continue to work together to identify additional Iranian officers involved in Bob’s abduction,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Our investigation continues—we will pursue all options to hold Iran accountable. The FBI will not waver in our commitment to provide answers to the Levinson family about what happened to Bob.”
Today’s action is being taken pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 14078, which implements the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act, and holds to account terrorist organizations, criminal groups, and other malicious actors who take hostages for financial, political, or other gain—as well as foreign states that engage in the practice of wrongful detention, including for political leverage or to seek concessions from the United States.
MOIS was designated pursuant to E.O. 14078 on September 18, 2023 in connection with the MOIS’s involvement in the wrongful detention of U.S citizens, including MOIS’s abduction and detention of Mr. Levinson with the authorization of senior Iranian officials.
Additionally, since November 2019, the U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice program, which is administered by the Diplomatic Security Service, has offered a reward of up to $20 million for information leading to the location, recovery, and return of Bob Levinson and the identification of those responsible for his disappearance.
MOIS personnel held responsible
Gholamhossein Mohammadnia (Mohammadnia) has been a senior MOIS deputy who became the Iranian ambassador to Albania in 2016. He was expelled from Albania in December 2018 for “damaging its national security.” Mohammadnia led an effort to blame Mr. Levinson’s detention on a terrorist group in Pakistan’s Baluchistan region in order to shift blame away from the Iranian government. MOIS has sought to obfuscate its role in Mr. Levinson’s probable death by attributing his abduction to Pakistani militants.
Reza Amiri Moghadam (Moghadam), also known as Ahmad Amirinia, has been a head of MOIS’s operations unit, with MOIS agents in Europe at one point reporting to him in Tehran. Moghadam is the current Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan. Moghadam has held a senior role in the Levinson case and has obfuscated the truth about Mr. Levinson’s abduction.
Taqi Daneshvar (Daneshvar) has been an Iranian MOIS officer who oversaw the work of Sanai, AKA Mohammad Baseri (Baseri), during the timeframe that Mr. Levinson disappeared from Kish Island, Iran. Baseri, a high-ranking MOIS officer involved in counterespionage activities, was involved in the abduction, detention, and probable death of Mr. Levinson, and was designated in December 2020 for acting for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, MOIS.
Mohammadnia, Moghadam, and Daneshvar are being designated pursuant to E.O. 14078 for being owned, controlled, or directed by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, MOIS.
SANCTIONS IMPLICATIONS
As a result of today’s action, all property and interests in property of the designated persons described above that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC. In addition, any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, individually or in the aggregate, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked. Unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC, or exempt, OFAC’s regulations generally prohibit all transactions by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of designated or otherwise blocked persons. U.S. persons may face civil or criminal penalties for violations of E.O. 14078.
In addition, persons that engage in certain transactions with the individuals and entities designated today may themselves be exposed to sanctions or subject to an enforcement action. Non-U.S. persons are also prohibited from causing or conspiring to cause U.S. persons to wittingly or unwittingly violate U.S. sanctions, as well as engaging in conduct that evades U.S. sanctions. OFAC’s Economic Sanctions Enforcement Guidelines provide more information regarding OFAC’s enforcement of U.S. sanctions, including the factors that OFAC generally considers when determining an appropriate response to an apparent violation.
The power and integrity of OFAC sanctions derive not only from OFAC’s ability to designate and add persons to the SDN List, but also from its willingness to remove persons from the SDN List consistent with the law. The ultimate goal of sanctions is not to punish, but to bring about a positive change in behavior. For information concerning the process for seeking removal from an OFAC list, including the SDN List, please refer to OFAC’s Frequently Asked Question 897 here, and to submit a request for removal, click here.
Click here for more information on the individuals designated today.
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