US expands sanctions on Russia-linked A7 over alleged Iran financing

The U.S. Treasury expanded sanctions against the Russia-linked A7 payment network on Oct. 2, prohibiting transactions with it and designating it a significant transnational criminal organization. Treasury alleged that A7 used companies in third countries to help Iran and Russian clients move money outside conventional banking channels.¹²³

A wider financial network

The designation was imposed by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network recommended restrictions on transfers linked to A7 sub-agents as well as notices for financial institutions. Meduza reported that the designation allows U.S. financial institutions to be barred from transfers involving those sub-agents, described as foreign shell companies through which A7 processes payments for Russian clients.²³

Treasury alleged that A7 assembled a global system of front companies and sub-agents to circumvent Western banking restrictions. According to the department, those channels created routes for the Central Bank of Iran, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iran-backed organizations to move funds internationally. Treasury also accused the network of assisting Iranian oil sales and weapons procurement and serving cybercriminals.¹²

U.S. authorities said A7 sub-agents allegedly relied on inaccurate commercial paperwork, shipping records and product declarations to disguise illicit transfers as routine business transactions. According to The Moscow Times, the sub-agents handled worldwide transfers exceeding $17 billion from January 2025 through June 2026. Both the alleged methods and the transaction figure come from U.S. authorities and have not been independently confirmed in the dossier.¹

Scale and ownership

A7 said in January 2026 that it was handling more than 2,000 transactions a day for Russian entities, with a total value of €81.44 billion, or $91.5 billion, according to The Kyiv Independent. The outlet said this was equivalent to about 13% of Russia’s foreign trade transactions in 2025. In a separate estimate, Promsvyazbank put A7's payment volume at 7.5 billion rubles for the first six months of 2025.²³

Meduza said Moldovan businessman Ilan Shor started A7 in 2024 with involvement from Promsvyazbank, a Russian state bank associated with the military. The Moscow Times reported that Shor owns 51% of A7 and that the bank established the network. That outlet said a court in Moldova gave Shor a 15-year custodial sentence on money-laundering charges.¹³

A7 rejects the allegations

A7 denied any connection to sanctioned Iranian entities or terrorist groups. It said its services supported legitimate trade in consumer goods and commodities and maintained payment settlements for the Russian market. The network and its ruble-denominated A7A5 digital token had already been under U.S. sanctions since August 2025.¹³

The Kyiv Independent reported that the Sept. 29 action applied to 13 people and organizations located in Russia, Hong Kong, China and Pakistan. It also said President Trump enacted the 2026 Lindsey O. Graham legislation on sanctions against Russia and Iran on Sept. 18, broadening Russia-related restrictions and renewing the Iran Sanctions Act for another five years.²

In 2022, Washington imposed sanctions on Shor and his wife, Russian singer Jasmin, over actions it said were aimed at undermining Moldova's stability. Shor is also subject to European Union and British sanctions, according to The Moscow Times.¹