Iran-backed proxies divert funds to cash-starved IRGC
Shafaq News- Washington/ Tehran
Iran-backed armed groups, including Iraqi factions, are redirecting funds to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as the force struggles to pay its personnel after nine months of war, US Central Command (CENTCOM) chief Admiral Brad Cooper said.
In a video message late Friday, Cooper estimated that the US naval blockade had cost Iran about $25 billion in oil revenue, reducing the funds available to Tehran to finance the IRGC, allied armed groups, and military operations.
Cooper also disclosed that CENTCOM and the US Treasury Department had frozen $350 million in Iranian assets held in cryptocurrency in recent weeks.
Update from CENTCOM Commander: https://t.co/YR9yHJ5IQB
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) October 16, 2026
The financial strain has reportedly prompted pro-Iranian factions, including Hezbollah, Hamas, and Iraqi groups, to withhold fighters' salaries and redirect the money to the IRGC, which is also struggling to meet its payroll, he added.
Iran's government is also withholding salaries, pensions, and benefits from public-sector employees, including members of the internal security forces and the IRGC, according to Cooper. He attributed the sharp rise in Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz to growing "desperation" within the Revolutionary Guards.
On Friday, CENTCOM reported that nearly 400 commercial vessels had crossed the maritime gateway over the previous seven days, while US forces had helped Gulf partners transport more than 100 million barrels of oil last week.
