A7 denies Iran links after US Treasury sanctions the Russian payments network

Russia’s A7 payment platform says it has nothing to do with Iran. The US Treasury disagrees. On October 1, 2026, Treasury sanctioned the A7 Network and designated it a significant transnational criminal organization under Operation Economic Outcast. One day later, A7 rejected the core allegation that it helped Tehran slip around international restrictions. What Treasury alleges Washington describes A7 as a shadow banking and payments network with ties to Russia. According to Treasury, the network helped Iran and several of its proxies dodge sanctions. Treasury links A7’s sub-agents to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Iran’s central bank, and proxy groups including Hamas. Treasury says the network enabled covert sales of Iranian oil and helped facilitate weapons procurement. One number stands out. Treasury says a single sub-agent alone was tied to transactions totaling nearly $140 million. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has proposed regulations that would bar US financial institutions from processing transactions involving A7’s sub-agents, with particular attention to convertible virtual currency. The rule is still at the proposal stage. A7’s response...