A company in British Columbia has been sanctioned by the United States due to an alleged link to fundraising activities for the Iran-supported terrorist organization Hezbollah.
Seven Seas for International Trading and Logistics is one of 16 companies and individuals being sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department, according to a March 20 government press release.
The agency has accused the firm of being under the leadership of a Hezbollah financier named Alaa Hassan Hamieh who is alleged to oversee a network of companies controlled through family members and trusted associates. That network has raised more than $100 million for Hezbollah since 2020, the statement said.
These individuals and companies represent a “critical source of funding” for Hezbollah, which continues to “embrace violence despite calls to disarm,” the U.S. government said.
The other companies named by the treasury department are located in Poland, Slovenia, Lebanon, Syria, and Qatar.
The department has also identified Qatar-based Raoof Fadel as the founder of Seven Seas, and accused him of participating in multiple projects with Hamieh and the Hezbollah finance team.
The sanctions mean Seven Seas for International Trading and Logistics is prohibited from conducting operations in the United States and transactions involving the firm are also prohibited for American businesses or individuals, as well as those operating within the country.
Seven Seas for International Trading and Logistics did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.
B.C.’s Ministry of Finance said the province was not informed of the situation prior to the U.S. announcement, and officials are contacting their federal counterparts in response to this development.
“Any next steps from the province would be informed by that engagement with our federal partners,” the ministry said.
The sanctions imposed by the United States come at a time of conflict with Hezbollah, a longstanding adversary of Israel and a regional ally of Iran.
The terrorist group has targeted northern Israel with rocket attacks from Lebanon in retaliation for the ongoing military operations conducted by the United States and Israel against Iran.
Israel has retaliated against Hezbollah, launching airstrikes on Beirut, Lebanon’s capital.
The Canadian government condemned Hezbollah’s actions in a joint March 16 statement with France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom.
“Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel and the targeting of civilians must cease and they must disarm,” the statement from the prime minister’s office said. “We condemn Hezbollah’s decision to join Iran in hostilities, which further jeopardizes regional peace and security.”
U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent described Hezbollah as a proxy of Iran, intent on carrying out “Tehran’s mission to sow chaos and destruction beyond its borders” and accused the organization of diverting funds “that rightfully belong to the Lebanese people to finance its terrorist operations.”
Hezbollah, founded in 1982, is designated as a terrorist group by Canada, the United States, the UK, and Israel. The organization has been described by Public Safety Canada as “one of the most technically capable terrorist groups in the world.”
The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
