Federal payments worth almost one hundred million Dollars were prevented by the United States Treasury Department from going to dead individuals, according to a news report by Breitbart News. This is part of the ongoing campaign of the Trump administration to cut waste, fraud and the abuse in federal spending.
To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt of the Breitbart report. Some parts in boldface…
The U.S. Treasury Department stopped nearly $100 million in federal payments that have been going out to deceased individuals after establishing a government-wide payment verification process last year.
The department’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service found that the money was set to be sent to “ghosts” after reviewing 885 million payments totaling nearly $2.7 trillion, according to a report by the New York Post.
Since March 2025, the Trump administration’s screening of the funds has reportedly uncovered more than 4,900 payments worth about $99 million that were associated with dead payees.
Payments intended for deceased individuals— often a red flag suggesting fraud — were returned to the originating federal agencies for review before any of the money was paid out, the Treasury Department said.
The department added that it has used the federal government’s Do Not Pay program — which verifies a recipient’s identity, eligibility, and banking information before sending out federal payments — alongside other, newer verification tools.
Last year, after President Donald Trump ordered his administration to cut waste, fraud, and abuse in federal spending, the Treasury Department “significantly expanded” its use of these verification systems, the agency noted.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this development? Are you delighted that almost $100 million were prevented from being paid to dead recipients? How deep do you think the fraud really is within the federal payment system?
Welcome back my readers, YouTube viewers and all others who followed this series of articles focused on YouTube videos worth watching.
Have you been searching for something fun or interesting to watch on YouTube? Do you feel bored right now and you crave for something to see on the world’s most popular online video destination?
I recommend you check out the following videos I found.
#1 Saints Row 2 Revisited – Having played the original Saints Row on my Xbox 360 console in 2006, I wished for a sequel to happen as I enjoyed the game a lot. Saints Row 2 was released in 2008 but it was in 2010 when I played it as it was locally sold to me with a really low price, and I enjoyed the game a lot. As a direct sequel, Saints Row 2 took place in the fictional city of Stilwater (the main setting of the first game) which has been expanded and modified a lot by Volition to not only reflect the passage of time but also offer gamers a bigger environment to explore and enjoy. Among fans of the Saints Row series, it has been argued that Saints Row 2 is the best to play and I myself enjoyed replaying it the most. There is a lot of inspiration behind the game and you can learn all about it by watching the informative video below. Saints Row 2 was made by Volition long before it turned woke and ruined the franchise with Saints Row (2022).
#2 EOM Reacts To Weird Science – If you have seen the 1985 sci-fi teen comedy film Weird Science, did you notice any connects between it and the 1950s sci-fi comic book series published by EC Comics? Did you recognize Bill Paxton, Anthony Michael Hall and Robert Downey Jr. when they were so young making the movie? By today’s standards, Weird Science is very unique when it comes to teen comedy, science fiction and sexiness in cinema. To find out more about it, watch EOM Reacts’ video below.
#3 The Last Time The Future Felt New – Remember the many technological and creative breakthroughs that happened in the late 1990s? As the world slowly crawled to the year 2000, there were these changes that came with technology and turned out to be futuristic in different ways and in different forms to many people. To understand what I am saying, I encourage you all to watch the video below. Enjoy the discoveries and retrospective.
#4 A Look At Chichibu in Japan – Here is something for you who intend to visit Japan soon. In Saitama Prefecture is the place called Chichibu is emerging as one of the nation’s most astonishing tourist destinations. It has rich natural beauty, retro streets and lots of hidden gems that are attracting visitors right now. To learn more about Chichibu, watch the informative video of Nippon TV below.
#5 Reaction Videos Of Live Free Or Die Hard – What do you get when you have the famous action here John McClane (played by Bruce Willis) who is not versed with technology and has to deal with a cyber terrorist who is messing with the entire United States? You get the 2007 movie Live Free or Die Hard (AKA Die Hard 4.0) which was huge box office success and made the Die Hard film franchise relevant in the 21st century and proved that moviegoers love watching Bruce Willis as John McClane. Considering its reputation, it is not surprising that the movie got featured in many reaction videos on YouTube. For your entertainment, watch the selected reaction videos below.
#6 Satoru Iwata Remembered – It has been over a decade since Satoru Iwata died. He is still remembered for rising from working as a video game programmer to reaching the top of Nintendo’s hierarchy by becoming its president and chief executive officer (CEO). Under his leadership, Nintendo achieved strong growth and it stood its ground in the console wars over many years. Considering the frustrating state of modern-day video gaming, Iwata’s wisdom and business savvy are missed. No matter what the trends of gaming and business were, Iwata maintained strong insight about the gaming industry and really stuck to principles. Watch and learn from the video below.
#7 Double Dragon Revisited – I have been playing video games since I was very young. While me and my friends played Double Dragon on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and on personal computer (PC), I never had the chance to play the game’s original arcade version. By the time I started playing more games in the arcades, Double Dragon was long gone. In the mid-1990s, a Double Dragon live-action movie was released and it only reminded me that Double Dragon grew a lot as a game franchise. That said, now is a good time to examine the very first Double Dragon game, who made it and what led to its creation. Watch the video below.
#8 Ranting For Vengeance Slams New Ghost In The Shell – Anyone among you a long-time fan of the manga and the 1990s anime film of Ghost in the Shell? There is a new TV series of it titled as The Ghost in the Shell released recently and Ranting For Vengeance slammed it in a recent video he posted on YouTube. He also has reasons and explanations supporting his stand against it. Watch his video below now!
#9 Woke Disease In Video Gaming – Over the past several years, wokeness in video games intensified a lot and ruined gaming a lot. There are woke nuts, social justice warriors (SJWS), feminists, Islamists and LGBTQ activists working as game developers and many of the games they worked on were laced with identity politics and other elements reflecting their beliefs and political agenda. The are also Leftists among video game journalists who work in tandem with woke game developers, and these propagandists distort public perception of video games as we know it. That said, you must guard your minds whenever you read video game news articles, reviews and opinion pieces. Watch and learn from the video below.
#10 Leftists Love Violence – Let’s be very clear here. Today’s Democrats and their allies are so twisted, they have grown heartless to people who are simply do not share their beliefs and values. Today’s Leftists are so Satanic, they celebrated political violence a lot. Watch and learn from the video below.
Another big victory for women in sports and common sense happened as the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) officially updated its policy requiring applicants for competition to take a genetic test that screens for the SRY gene, according to a report by Breitbart News. The newly enacted rule effectively bans men who identify as women from joining women’s competition.
To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt of the Breitbart report. Some parts in boldface…
The Women’s Tennis Association has enacted a new rule banning men who identify as women from competition by requiring genetic testing to qualify to play in the women’s sport.
The WTA’s updated policy requires applicants for competition to take a genetic test that screens for the SRY gene, which is found on the male Y chromosome, according to the New York Post.
Potential players who test negative for SRY are immediately qualified to play in the women’s category. A positive result will trigger closer scrutiny before any possibility of becoming eligible, the tennis organization ruled.
Players who refuse testing will be required to sign a document acknowledging that their refusal could result in disciplinary action after any investigation into their application.
“The WTA’s women’s eligibility policy is designed to promote equal athletic opportunities in women’s professional tennis and maintain fair competition for all players participating in WTA tournaments,” the policy states.
“The WTA recognizes that this is a sensitive and complex issue and is committed to treating all players with dignity and implementing the policy in a respectful and thoughtful way,” the organization added after releasing the news.
The sport governing body said the change came after discussion with current members and a review of actions by other international women’s sport organizations.
The new rule seems to be a replacement for previous rules that allowed transgender athletes to compete if their testosterone was below 2.5 nmol/L for at least two years before competing.
Tennis legend Martina Navratilova hailed the WTA’s move, calling it a “step in the right direction.”
In another post on X, Navratilova wrote that she is “very happy that we at the WTA are clear that we are a women’s association and only women, as in females, can compete at the highest level of women’s tennis.”
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this development? Do you agree with the WTA’s new policy on ensuring fair competition in women’s category? Were there any women’s tennis competitions in your locality that allowed transgendered women to participate with the real women? Do you wish to see all sports competitions be free from identity politics and the toxic agenda of the woke, the social justice warriors (SJWs) and the LGBTQIA+ mob?
Japan’s Parliament enacted a bill that would criminalize acts of damaging the national flag, according to a news report by Kyodo News. This new development is the latest legislative victory for Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae whose administration, parliamentary partner and even a few opposition elements submitted it. Those who opposed the bill called it “divisive” and “unconstitutional”.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the report of Kyodo News. Some parts in boldface…
Japan’s parliament on Friday enacted a divisive law introducing criminal penalties for desecrating the national flag, achieving a key legislative goal of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in the current Diet session.
The ruling parties argued the law was needed because Japan already criminalized desecration of foreign flags but had no equivalent provision covering its own. Some opposition parties and legal experts criticized the measure, saying it may infringe on freedom of expression and could be unconstitutional.
The bill, jointly submitted by the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and Japan Innovation Party, along with the opposition Democratic Party for the People and Sanseito, cleared the House of Councillors.
Under the law, individuals who damage, remove or defile the national flag in a way that arouses “strong feelings of discomfort or disgust” in others could face up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 200,000 yen ($1,200).
The penalties mirror existing provisions in the Penal Code on desecration of foreign flags and follow an October agreement between the LDP and JIP identifying the legal discrepancy as one to be resolved.
Parliamentary debate centered on the law’s implications for constitutional rights and what constitutes a punishable act, with the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan among its critics.
Under the law, whether an act is punishable will be determined based on the circumstances as a whole. LDP lawmakers cited as possible violations stomping on a flag, covering it with mud in a street or park, and soiling it with feces or urine.
Livestreaming the cutting up or burning of a Japanese flag in a private space is also punishable, although a provision making the subsequent sharing of such footage an offense was dropped during negotiations to secure the DPP and Sanseito’s support for the bill.
A supplementary provision calls for a review around three years after the law takes effectto determine whether additional measures are needed in light of developments such as the online dissemination of images of flag desecration.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this development? Do you think Japan’s parliament did the right move enacting the national flag vandalism proposal? Do you believe that desecrating your nation’s flag should be penalized? What is your opinion about the Islamists and Leftists – both foreigners and citizens – in America and Europe who burned national flags so publicly and shamelessly? Did you notice social media posts that captured images of Leftists and woke nuts in Japan who desecrated the Japanese flag?
Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at @CarloCarrascoPH as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco
For insight, the Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute during the time of then President Rodrigo Duterte. The Philippines made it clear that it has a functioning judiciary and that the there is no need for the ICC to meddle. Strangely, Filipino authorities enforced the ICC arrest warrant which resulted in the arrest of former President Duterte and his transfer to The Hague for trial.
To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt of the BusinessWorld news report. Some parts in boldface…
THE Philippines on Tuesday distanced itself from a campaign by the administration of US President Donald J. Trump urging countries to leave the International Criminal Court (ICC), saying Washington’s latest position on the Hague-based tribunal is a matter of American policy and that Manila would continue to follow its own laws.
“The policy of the US is not within the scope of our government,” Palace Press Officer Clarissa A. Castro told reporters in a Viber group chat in Filipino.
Ms. Castro was asked to comment on a statement by US Secretary of State Marco A. Rubio, who said on Monday that “nations that refuse to reject the ICC’s false authority while relying on US assistance are likely to come under scrutiny.”
“This is a policy of the United States, and we respect their position,” Ms. Castro separately told GMA News. “At this point, we have no comment, as we are simply acting in accordance with our own laws.”
The Marcos administration has repeatedly said the Philippines has no plans to rejoin the ICC, while maintaining that its position on the tribunal is based on Philippine policy rather than that of any foreign government.
The Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute, the treaty that created the ICC, in 2019 under former President Rodrigo R. Duterte after the tribunal opened a preliminary examination into his anti-illegal drug campaign.
Although Manila is no longer a state party, the ICC maintains that it retains jurisdiction over crimes committed while the country was still a member.
Former presidential legal counsel Salvador S. Panelo welcomed the Trump administration’s campaign against the ICC, saying the tribunal should stop what he described as interference in the affairs of sovereign states.
“The Trump administration’s launching of a government-wide campaign against the International Criminal Court, vowing to pressure countries to withdraw from the tribunal and accusing it of threatening US sovereignty, as well as other countries’ sovereignties like the Philippines, Russia and Israel is long in coming,” he said in a statement.
“The illegal and unforgivable incarceration of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, intruding into our country’s sovereignty with the cooperation of the Marcos administration, is a classic example of ICC’s unlawful intrusion to countries that are not members,” he added.
Mr. Duterte, 81, was arrested in March 2025 after Philippine authorities enforced an ICC arrest warrant and transferred him to The Hague, where he remains in the tribunal’s custody while facing allegations of crimes against humanity linked to his anti-drug campaign.
He has denied wrongdoing, while his supporters continue to challenge the court’s jurisdiction following the Philippines’ withdrawal from the Rome Statute.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this development? Do you think the Philippines is in a very awkward position between the United States and the ICC? Do you think the Philippines will lose American assistance in the near future as a result of its decision to distance itself from the US campaign against the ICC? Do you support campaigns opposing the ICC?
Remember a few years ago when the administration of failed US President Joe Biden came up with a foster care rule that sought to require children who identify as LGBTQ be placed with families willing to accept them through gender identity? That outrageous rule was never implemented but the Trump administration formally eliminated it which is good for the United States, according to a news report by Newsmax.
To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt of the Newsmax report. Some parts in boldface…
The Trump administration on Tuesday formally eliminated a Biden-era foster care rule that sought to require children who identify as LGBTQ be placed with families willing to affirm their stated gender identity or sexual orientation.
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families (ACF) removed the April 2024 regulation from the Code of Federal Regulations, saying the move will provide clarity and help recruit more foster families nationwide.
The rule never took effect after it was struck down by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, but the administration said removing it entirely closes the door on the policy.
Assistant HHS Secretary Alex Adams told The Daily Wire the decision reflects the administration’s belief that more families should feel welcome to foster children.
“The message that we think it sends is that all families are welcome,” Adams said. “We have too few foster families nationally. We must roll out the red carpet, and we must ensure that there’s homes waiting on kids, not kids waiting on homes.”
The Biden administration’s rule directed federally funded child welfare agencies to ensure that children who “self-identify with an alternative sexual orientation or self-identify as something other than their sex in foster care” were placed with families that would affirm those identities.
The Trump administration said rescinding the regulation supports first lady Melania Trump’s “Fostering the Future” initiative and a related executive order calling for a government-wide effort to strengthen the nation’s foster care system.
Adams said the administration has also launched its “Home for Every Child” campaign to increase the number of foster homes available for children entering the system.
“Nationally, we have a shortage,” Adams said. “We only have 57 homes for every 100 kids coming in, so we can and must do better to ensure that there’s enough homes for kids because when there’s not enough homes, kids end up in short-term rentals, hotels, government office spaces, etc.”
Adams said families with strong religious beliefs and moral convictions make up a large share of those willing to foster children, making it critical that the federal government not discourage them from participating.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this development? Are you delighted that US President Donald Trump and his administration scrapped the Biden-era rule and made sure it would not be revived soon? Do you think the woke, the SJWs and LGBTQ mob will react violently to this development?
Welcome back my readers, YouTube viewers and all others who followed this series of articles focused on YouTube videos worth watching.
Have you been searching for something fun or interesting to watch on YouTube? Do you feel bored right now and you crave for something to see on the world’s most popular online video destination?
I recommend you check out the following videos I found.
#1 Varied Scary Movie 3 Reaction Videos – After enjoying Scary Movie (2000), I eventually saw Scary Movie 2 in a California cinema and it was disappointing due to its rushed and uninspired presentation. More than two years later, I saw Scary Movie 3 in a packed cinema here in the Philippines. Directed by David Zucker – part of the famous Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker (ZAZ) – Scary Movie 3 does not quite match the fun and quality of the original film of 2000 but it was still a huge improvement over Scary Movie 2. Not only that, the 2003 film had Anna Faris back as Cindy Campbell while the legendary comedian Leslie Nielsen was a notable addition. To see how much of an impact Scary Movie 3 has with YouTubers, watch and selected video reactions below.
#2 A Korean Comic Café – If you are visiting South Korea and if you want to spend time in a place that allows privacy, access to digital entertainment, comic books and a variety of food and drinks during the day, try visiting a comic café. Watch and learn from the video below.
#3 Ranting For Vengeance Looks At Great Comics That Actually Suck – What do you think makes a comic book great? Could it be because of the creators’ work, the storytelling style, real-world events that inspired the creative process, or the reputation of the creators who made it? In his video from 2025, Ranting for Vengeance examines that comics that were perceived to be great but sucked. Watch his video and pay close attention to the details and his explanations.
#4 Ashleigh Burton Reacts To Weird Science – If you have read comic books of Weird Science, could you see their connection with the 1985 science fiction teen comedy film Weird Science? Directed by the late John Hughes, Weird Science follows two nerdy social outcast high school students who have had enough of being humiliated by others and enduring disappointing lives. Together, the two plan to make the perfect dream woman come true using a computer while hacking a government computer system. As it is loosely based on the Weird Science series of EC Comics, the film was a notable product of its time and it remains a memorable part of 1980s Hollywood cinema. To see if it has any entertainment impact, watch Ashleigh Burton’s reaction video now.
#5 Sega’s F355 Challenge Revisited – During a visit to Gameworx inside Festival Mall in 1999, I saw the arcade game F355 Challenge from Sega. After marveling at its graphics during the first several minutes, I bought arcade tokens to play it. To my surprise, F355 Challenge was a racing simulation as it was designed with in-depth driving realism in mind. Yu Suzuki (Virtua Fighter) was the man who produced and directed the game, and in my opinion F355 Challenge has to be played in its original arcade form while the Sega Dreamcast port is the alternative. To see what F355 Challenge has to offer gamers, watch the video below.
#6 Penalties On Littering At Shibuya – Shibuya is one of the most lively urban spots in Japan. Located in Tokyo, is a special ward where visitors can enjoy the immense commercial joints and it is now the premiere hub for youth culture. Sadly, as Japan is attracting tens of millions of foreign tourists each year, littering at Shibuya has gone up tremendously. Fortunately, the local authorities are taking action again littering and those who littered will be penalized when they are caught. Learn from the Nippon TV video below.
#7 GoodBadFlicks Reviews The Bees – Way back in the late-1980s, the 1978 horror movie The Bees was shown on local TV and it drew a large audience. I cannot forget the time when a classmate of mine got so scared watching it. The Bees is a Mexican production that had the late John Saxon in a major role. To see the quality and production details of The Bees, watch the video of GoodBadFlicks below.
#8 Steakhouse In Tokyo – If you are touring Tokyo right now, there is this particular place that serves customers with really delicious and satisfying steaks. This video shows very enticing meals and I would love to visit once I return to Japan someday. Enjoy the video!
Do you believe that the internationalist and justice-disrupting International Criminal Court (ICC) should meddle in your nation’s justice system? The Department of State officially launched a huge campaign to the dismantle the ICC to protect the sovereignty of the United States.
To put things in perspective, posted below is the entire announcement by the State Department. Some parts in boldface…
Today, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a sweeping campaign to dismantle the threat posed by the International Criminal Court to U.S. sovereignty. The campaign will feature a whole-of-government response to systematically disable the ICC’s ability to operate, target American servicemen or officials, or otherwise threaten American sovereignty.
The ICC poses an intolerable threat to U.S. sovereignty – it claims the authority to prosecute and even imprison American servicemen and officials operating on behalf of America’s national interest. Americans never signed up for this, and all American presidents since the ICC’s ratification have maintained that the ICC does not have jurisdiction over Americans. The ICC previously opened an investigation into U.S. servicemen and intelligence officers and has since refused to close these cases.
The ICC now seeks to become the unaccountable global arbiter – positioning itself above and beyond the nation state as a supranational enforcement arm of a globalist bureaucracy empowered to persecute American servicemen and officials at will. No diplomatic option will be off-limits in the campaign to dismantle the threat posed by the ICC to Americans.
The campaign will feature a wide range of actions intended to ensure that the International Criminal Court is incapable of threatening U.S. sovereignty or targeting Americans.
Actions under consideration include:
Diplomatic calls from the Secretary of State, Deputy Secretary, ambassadors, and other members of senior leadership to foreign nations highlighting the abuses of the ICC and the risks posed to Americans and other nations urging them to withdraw from the ICC
Nations that partner with American law enforcement and the U.S. military or that enjoy the benefits of the U.S. security umbrella are called upon to reject the ICC’s purported authority to prosecute American officials and servicemen
Increased scrutiny of nations that refuse to reject the ICC’s false authority while relying on U.S. assistance
Diplomatic calls urging other nations that, like America, that are not party to the Rome Statute to leverage their diplomatic networks to take similar actions alongside us
Visa revocations and travel bans for ICC personnel
Increased sanctions against the ICC and affiliated organizations
For added insight, watch the YouTube video below. Pay close attention to what US State Secretary Marco Rubio said.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this development? Do you think the Trump administration will make huge impact against the ICC through diplomacy and legal systems? What should the US do to nations that were found to have been following the ICC while receiving American assistance? Do you consider the ICC a living international body of injustice and violator of the sovereignty of nations that bowed to its authority?
Following its current success on attracting tourists from around the world during the first half of this year, Vietnam raked in $9 billion in the said period, according to a news report by VnExpress.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the news report of VnExpress. Some parts in boldface…
Vietnam collected more than US$9 billion from foreign visitors in the first six months, while Vietnamese spent $8 billion abroad in the same period.
The country recorded a tourism trade surplus of $950 million, compared with a surplus of $480 million in 2025 and a deficit of $380 million in 2024, according to the General Statistics Office.
Vietnam’s Party General Secretary and President To Lam, in a meeting with government bodies on Saturday, called for a more detailed analysis of the country’s services trade balance and urged the development of a strategy to rebalance Vietnam’s tourism sector in the coming years.
He said achieving a larger tourism surplus would require upgrading the industry so that international visitors spend more during their stays, while encouraging more Vietnamese travelers to choose domestic destinations.
The country welcomed nearly 12.3 million international visitors in the first six months, up 14.9% year-on-year.
Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Lam Thi Phuong Thanh said the government would continue efforts to develop tourism into a genuine key economic sector.
She said the mutually supportive relationship between tourism and related industries should be strengthened, with the sector shifting from a growth model focused on scale and visitor numbers to one emphasizing quality, higher value-added services, creative products, and distinctive travel experiences.
Vietnam’s tourism industry will also target higher-spending visitors and longer-stay travelers, she added.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this development? With tourism booming in their country, do you think Vietnam can collect at least $20 billion from foreign tourists by the end of this year?
Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at @CarloCarrascoPH as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco
As the military conflict between the United States and the Islamic terrorist state of Iran intensifies, the State Department announced that action has been taken to cut off the financial lifelines of the evil regime.
To put things in perspective, posted below is the entire announcement by the State Department. Some parts in boldface…
The United States is taking decisive action to cut off the financial lifelines sustaining Iran’s ruling elite. Today’s action targets Ali Ansari, a Dubai-based Iranian national who has built a sprawling global network of real estate and commercial holdings — spanning Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, Cyprus, the UAE, and beyond — on behalf of Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and other regime insiders.
The United States also sanctioned three Iran-based currency exchange houses — Mohammad Darbani and Partners, Lavasani and Partners, and Mohsen Khandan and Partners — along with their managing partners and associated front companies. By targeting these networks, the United States is directly disrupting the regime’s ability to access foreign currency and conduct international financial activity.
These actions reflect the Trump Administration’s commitment to holding accountable all those who enable the regime’s corruption and regional aggression. The United States will continue to pursue sanctions against individuals, companies, and financial institutions — including foreign entities — that facilitate illicit Iranian commerce, and will not relent until the Iranian regime ends its destabilizing behavior and its exploitation of the Iranian people.
Today’s action is being taken pursuant to E.O. 13902, which targets persons operating in Iran’s financial and petroleum sectors, E.O. 13876, which focuses on the Supreme Leader of Iran and his affiliates, and the counterterrorism authority E.O. 13224, as amended by E.O. 13886. These designations build on a series of OFAC actions targeting Iranian shadow banking and currency exchange house networks
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this development? Do you think the US will be able to cut off Iran’s links to all financial sources around the world? Could it be possible that the sinister financiers behind LGBTQ and transgender mobs and human traffickers (involved with mass migration targeting Europe) could secretly be funding the Islamic terrorist regime of Iran?
Author Carlo Carrasco 