From the Liveblog of
Thursday, January 15, 2026
Israel designates Iran’s state-owned Bank Melli a terror organization
Stav Levaton is a military reporter for The Times of Israel
Defense Minister Israel Katz signs an order designating Iran’s state-owned Bank Melli as a terrorist organization, accusing it of serving as a key financial arm of the Islamic Republic’s terror network.
According to a statement from Katz’s office, the bank plays a central role in transferring funds to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its Quds Force, as well as to Iran-backed terror groups across the Middle East, allegedly helping to bankroll attacks against Israel and other targets.
The designation, made at the request of Israel’s security agencies, is intended to disrupt what the statement describes as one of the “main financial pipelines used by Iran’s proxy terror groups.”
Bank Melli was already designated a terror organization by the United States in 2018. Israel previously designated the Central Bank of Iran (CBI), Bank Mellat and Bank Shahr as terror organizations.
“The Iranian regime is the world’s largest sponsor of terrorism and uses state-owned banks as full-fledged terror arms,” Katz says. “We will not allow Iran and its proxies to hide behind fake financial systems – and we will act by every means, everywhere, to dry up the sources of terror financing and thwart Iran’s attempts to spread terror around the world.”
The move comes amid Tehran’s bloody crackdown against nationwide protests that activists say killed thousands.
The Times of Israel Community.