meta_id 3601731

On October 15, 2026, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued an Alert as part of Operation Economic Outcast, directing financial institutions to report potential Iranian regime abuse of religious charity networks, including diversion of religious tithes known as khums. The Alert addresses the Iranian regime's documented practice of exploiting ostensibly religious organizations in Iran and neighbouring countries to enrich elites, fund repression of the Iranian people, and support terrorism abroad. FinCEN identified that the regime co-opts khums payments from the global Shi'a community to further destabilizing activities. In some cases, organizations collecting these payments do so on behalf of prominent Iranian ayatollahs with ties to the regime, using informal financial channels such as hawalas and cash couriers to remit funds to Iran or Iran-linked actors. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the action reflects the administration's commitment to preventing the Iranian regime from abusing religious institutions to finance terrorism and enrich its leadership. FinCEN's Alert includes red flag indicators to assist financial institutions in detecting and preventing illicit activity. These indicators include: charitable organizations or nonprofits (NPOs) that solicit donations without providing apparent charitable services or openly supporting the Iranian regime; NPOs receiving large donations from unknown sources over short periods followed by significant wire transfers to other organizations; organizations or their employees engaging in behaviour suggesting efforts to evade reporting or recordkeeping requirements; and customers receiving transfers from NPOs with no clear business relationship, subsequently withdrawing funds in cash or remitting them onward. FinCEN emphasized that legitimate charities should retain access to financial services through transparent channels and reminded banks to apply risk-based approaches to customer due diligence when developing risk profiles for charitable and nonprofit customers, consistent with Bank Secrecy Act requirements outlined in the Joint Fact Sheet on Bank Secrecy Act Due Diligence Requirements for Charities and Non-Profit Organizations.