Iranupdated 54m ago2 min read
CENTCOM Chief Brad Cooper Says Iran-Backed Militias Send Money Back to IRGC
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Iran-aligned militias are routing funds to IRGC to alleviate Tehran's cash strain. U.S. says it blocked about $25 billion of Iran's oil revenue via blockade.
6 outlets told this the same way.
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Money to IRGC
Adm. Brad Cooper said Iran-backed militias in the region have been sending money back to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to relieve economic pressure after nine months of war.
Cooper said the financial strain on Iran’s military has become so significant that there are reports of Iran-aligned militia groups withholding payments to their soldiers to funnel money back to the IRGC, which he said also isn’t paying its troops.
Cooper said the Iranian government is withholding salaries, pensions, and benefits from public sector workers, including internal security forces and the IRGC.
Cooper said the U.S. naval blockade has cost Iran $25 billion in lost oil revenue, and he said CENTCOM and the Treasury Department have frozen $350 million in Iranian cryptocurrency in recent weeks.
Strait of Hormuz
Cooper said the Strait of Hormuz is still open, with 400 ships and 100 million barrels of oil moving through it over the last week. Cooper said CENTCOM has almost completely stopped conducting strikes against Iranian anti-ship missiles and attack drone launchers in the area of the strait in recent weeks.
Cooper said the pause in strikes was ordered by the White House to avoid escalating the war ahead of the midterm elections, and a U.S. official said the pause made Iran more confident about launching attacks. Cooper said he attributed the significant increase in Iranian attacks against ships in the Strait of Hormuz to “desperation” within the IRGC.
Pressure and diplomacy
Cooper said the U.S. and its partners have delivered severe blows to the IRGC in three areas, oil exports, digital financing, and payroll for security forces. Cooper said the U.S. has so far prevented Iran from exporting at least $25 billion worth of crude oil, and he said the U.S. has delivered severe blows while the naval blockade remains in place.
The White House and Qatari mediators are still waiting to hear back from Iran about a U.S. counterproposal to end the war, and a U.S. official said it is “still in internal deliberations in Tehran.” Regional mediators told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in recent days that Iran shouldn’t wait until after the midterms to give its response, and a regional source with direct knowledge said there’s no guarantee Trump will be more conciliatory after the midterms.