Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Allegedly Took Control Of Sanctioned Oil Trade. Billions In Revenue Are Missing.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards intelligence organization allegedly regained control of the country's sanctioned oil trade through a network of politically connected intermediarie, following a power struggle that reportedly contributed to the dismissal of an oil minister and the return of officials previously implicated in financial disputes.

Confidential documents and information obtained by Iran International suggest that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Intelligence Organization worked with senior security figures to reestablish influence over oil exports, including transactions involving traders accused of failing to return billions of dollars in revenue.

The investigation, published Wednesday, identifies Mohammad Javad Bavand, an intelligence official involved in managing oil transactions, and Ali Akbar Pour-Ebrahim, a senior oil trading executive, as central figures in the alleged operation.

One document reportedly shows that the two men arranged for 86 million barrels of Iranian oil to be entrusted to four intermediaries in mid-2026 at a discount of $8 a barrel. The traders had allegedly failed to return substantial proceeds from earlier transactions.

The reported deal came as Iran's government continued relying on intermediaries known as trustees to sell crude and collect payments outside conventional banking channels, which are subject to extensive U.S. sanctions. The confidential documents underlying the latest allegations have not been independently authenticated.

The network's origins date to 2018, when Iranian authorities placed sanctioned oil transactions under a committee operating through the Supreme National Security Council.

Ali Shamkhani, then a senior security official, oversaw the arrangement alongside representatives of the Revolutionary Guards and Intelligence Ministry, according to Iran International's investigation.

Among the intermediaries involved was Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, Ali Shamkhani's son, who subsequently developed an extensive shipping business transporting Iranian and Russian oil.

His activities have also drawn scrutiny from the U.S. Treasury Department, which sanctioned a network of companies and vessels associated with him in July 2025.

Treasury said the younger Shamkhani used his father's political influence to establish a shipping operation that generated billions of dollars through oil and other commodity transactions. The sanctions covered more than 50 individuals and entities and identified over 50 vessels linked to the network.

Iran International reported that the Revolutionary Guards-linked network lost influence after President Masoud Pezeshkian took office in 2024 and responsibility for certain oil sales shifted to another group associated with the Intelligence Ministry.

Disputes intensified over unpaid export proceeds. Ali Akbar Pour-Ebrahim, a former oil trading executive, had acknowledged in an interview with Iran's Labour News Agency that trustees failed to return approximately $11 billion in oil revenue during an earlier period, the outlet reported.

The latest investigation alleges that security officials used the financial dispute to pressure the Oil Ministry and restore their preferred intermediaries.

A confidential letter reportedly sent by Ali Shamkhani to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in late 2025 called for Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad's dismissal.

Shamkhani accused the ministry of selling Iranian crude at discounts of $6 a barrel, compared with approximately 50 cents during former President Ebrahim Raisi's administration.

Two sources familiar with the matter told Iran International that the dispute was also connected to Hossein Shamkhani's exclusion from certain oil transactions.

Paknejad left office in October 2026, following months of reported disagreements over the management of sanctioned exports.

The investigation said Bavand had returned to the Oil Ministry as an adviser in June, while Pour-Ebrahim subsequently regained a senior position within the oil trading organization.

The reported financial irregularities extend beyond unpaid crude shipments. A confidential assessment attributed to Iran's General Inspection Organization identified problems with a barter arrangement involving approximately $3 billion in Iranian oil and gas condensate shipped to Venezuela, according to documents reviewed by Iran International.

The assessment allegedly found that more than $1 billion in value was not recovered from the transactions. It also claimed that Venezuela failed to deliver replacement cargoes and that tankers transporting the Iranian shipments returned empty.

Pour-Ebrahim was implicated in the reported arrangement, alongside intermediaries including Hossein Shamkhani and Mohammad Hadi Momenin. The allegations have not been established through publicly available court findings.

Washington has continued targeting shipping companies, financial intermediaries and trading networks associated with Iranian oil exports. In July 2026, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed additional sanctions on entities and vessels connected to the Shamkhani shipping empire, describing its activities as part of a broader network facilitating sanctioned commodity transactions.

Treasury said the network had expanded into container shipping and other commodities. By then, U.S. authorities had sanctioned more than 200 individuals, companies and vessels operating under Shamkhani's patronage.