TEHRAN: Iran said on Monday that it has lodged a complaint with the International Monetary Fund after the United States blacklisted one of its leading banks for allegedly transferring funds to militant groups.
"After sanctions imposed by the US Treasury on Bank Saderat, the Central Bank of Iran has lodged a complaint with the appropriate authorities, notably the IMF," state television quoted central bank chief Ebrahim Sheibani as saying.
"It is a political decision that has no justification. And the US Treasury has presented no proof."
He said the move on Bank Saderat, which has 3,400 branches, covers only "operations in dollars and not operations in other currencies."
The sanction, which the United States imposed after accusing the bank of facilitating the transfer of hundreds of millions of dollars to Hezbollah and other militant groups, has effectively cut off Bank Saderat from the US financial system.
The Treasury also said the bank had transferred funds to other "terrorist organizations" including Hamas, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
The United States already has a trade embargo on Iran but US banks are able to handle some transfer operations involving Iranian banks such as when the sender and the benificiary are non-Iranians.
Its blacklisting of Bank Saderat comes as Washington is urging the international communtiy to back sanctions on Iran for its controversial nuclear programme.
