Iran-backed militias sending money back to cash-starved IRGC, U.S. says
Iran-backed militias in the region have been sending money back to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to relieve the economic pressure it's under after nine months of war , U.S.
CENTCOM Commander Adm.
Brad Cooper said Friday.
Why it matters: While the U.S. military has been preparing for a possible resumption of major combat operations against Iran, the Trump administration continues to put immense pressure on the regime with its naval blockade and severe sanctions.
U.S. officials say the economic chokehold is causing serious difficulties for Iran and its security forces, while making the regime frustrated and aggressive.
The White House hopes the pressure will induce Iran to make a deal that includes nuclear concessions.
But so far, that hasn't happened.
Driving the news: Cooper said the naval blockade has cost Iran $25 billion in lost oil revenue.
Additionally, CENTCOM and the Treasury Department have managed in recent weeks to freeze $350 million that Iran had in cryptocurrency.
Behind the scenes: In a video message released Friday, Cooper revealed that Iran-backed groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas and Shia militias in Iraq — which have been funded by the IRGC for years — now have to give the money back.
"The financial strain on Iran's military has become so significant that there are reports about Iran-aligned militia groups across the region withholding payments for their soldiers in order to funnel money back to the IRGC, which also isn't paying its troops," he said.
Cooper said the Iranian government is withholding salaries, pensions and benefits from public sector workers, including the internal security forces and the IRGC.
State of play: Cooper attributed the significant increase in Iranian attacks against ships in the Strait of Hormuz to "desperation" within the IRGC.
Despite those attacks, he said that the Strait of Hormuz is still open — with 400 ships and 100 million barrels of oil moving through it over the last week.
5News aggregated this summary from the outlet’s public feed. The full article, with all the context, is on www.axios.com — the content belongs to Axios.
