Millions for Information on a Hezbollah Financier: Who is Ali Qasir, Wanted by Washington?

When financing networks become a lifeline for groups like Hezbollah, information becomes more dangerous than weapons, and that is precisely what the United States is tracking.

This Tuesday, the U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice program announced a reward of up to $10 million for information about Ali Qasir.

Qasir is a key figure at Talaqi Group, accused of supporting Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), specifically the Quds Force.

According to the program, Qasir is alleged to exploit his position within the company to secure funding for both Hezbollah and the Quds Force, circumventing sanctions through oil, steel, and other illicit trades, and coordinating joint financial activities between the two entities.

The U.S. State Department stated that anyone with information on Qasir or Hezbollah’s financial networks and related activities may be eligible for a reward through official communication channels.

Ali Qasir and the U.S. State Department Announcement

In an official post on the X platform, the program stated:

“Do you know this man? He helps finance Hezbollah and the Iranian Quds Force through a company called Talaqi Group. Do you have any information on his business or financial activities? Contact us. Your information may make you eligible for a reward.”

Who is Ali Qasir?

According to the Rewards for Justice program:

• Born on July 29, 1982. 
• Hezbollah representative in Iran. 
• Principal facilitator of financial and commercial activities benefiting the Quds Force and Hezbollah. 
• Nephew of Mohammed Qasir, a Hezbollah official, working closely to facilitate financial operations between the Quds Force and the IRGC. 
• Managing Director of Talaqi Group, a Hezbollah-linked company financing oil shipments for the Quds Force. 
• Responsible for negotiating sales prices and settling payments related to shipping vessels. 
• Assisted in covering expenses and facilitating an Iranian oil shipment aboard the ship Adrian Darya 1 for the Quds Force. 
• Represents Fields S.M.L. Offshore, based in Lebanon, in negotiations for supplying Iranian crude oil to Syria. 
• Organized and collaborated on the sale of significant steel shipments via Talaqi Group, valued at tens of millions of dollars. 

On September 4, 2019, the U.S. Treasury Department designated Ali Qasir as a global terrorist under Executive Order 13224.

This designation entails, among other consequences:

• Freezing all his assets and interests subject to U.S. jurisdiction. 
• Prohibiting U.S. persons from conducting any transactions with him. 

Providing material support or resources knowingly, attempting to do so, or conspiring to do so for Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization, constitutes a criminal offense.