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Behind the Scenes, U.S. Asks Foreign Banks to Inform on Iranian Clients
By Colby Adams
printU.S. officials have secretly solicited and, at times, received data from foreign banks on accounts tied to Iranian entities, without notifying the accountholders of the requests, say sources. The data-sharing arrangements, which were pursued at industry gatherings, netted information on Iranian transactions even when the clients involved were not the targets of American or EU sanctions, said a former U.S. Treasury Department official. The Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes and other high-ranking officials were aware of the deals, the person said. "There's a constant conversation between banks and the U.S. government beyond what [the U.S. Treasury Department's...
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