A federal judge has ruled to maintain U.S. economic sanctions against a man accused of smuggling tens of thousands of tons of oil to fund an Iranian paramilitary group.
In a decision issued Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Amir H. Ali rejected a lawsuit from Kamaluddin Nabizada against Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other federal agencies. Nabizada was fighting to be removed from a federal sanctions list that effectively froze all of his assets within the United States.
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control originally sanctioned Nabizada in May 2022. According to court records, the agency determined he “materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support” to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force.
Government officials stated that Nabizada “helped raise funds for the IRGC-QF through the sale and transport of tens of thousands of tons of oil.” They accused him of negotiating prices, executing contracts, and shipping Iranian oil to funnel millions of dollars back to the heavily sanctioned organization.
Nabizada petitioned to have the sanctions lifted late in 2022. When the government denied his request, he sued. In his lawsuit, Nabizada argued that a public press release about his case contained false information regarding his past business connections and an Afghan bank.
He also claimed his constitutional rights were violated because the government used classified intelligence to freeze his money without letting his legal team see the evidence.
Judge Ali dismissed both arguments in his ruling. The court found that the government’s decision to freeze the assets was based strictly on the “oil-smuggling operations,” not the extra background details mentioned in the press release.
Addressing the secret evidence, the judge ruled that the government provided Nabizada with enough unclassified information to legally justify the asset freeze. Quoting legal precedent, the judge noted that forcing federal officials to hand over top-secret intelligence to the plaintiff would “compel a breach in the security which that branch is charged to protect.”
With the court granting summary judgment for the government, Nabizada will stay on the Specially Designated Nationals list, and his U.S. property and funds will remain blocked.
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