About Iran Sanctions & Trade Observatory (ISTO)

 

At the Iran Sanctions & Trade Observatory (ISTO), we follow the money — wherever it leads.

ISTO is an independent research institution dedicated to exposing the Iranian regime’s global web of financial deception, front companies, and covert trade networks designed to bypass international sanctions. Through data-driven research, investigative analysis, and collaboration with policymakers, financial institutions, and journalists, we reveal how Iran’s oligarchic elite and IRGC-linked entities exploit the global financial system to fund their power and evade accountability.

Our mission is to enhance transparency, strengthen enforcement mechanisms, and provide actionable intelligence that disrupts illicit financial operations tied to the Iranian state. Because truth still matters — especially when it makes the powerful uncomfortable.

Mission

ISTO is committed to uncovering and dismantling the financial architecture that sustains Iran’s ruling elite, its Revolutionary Guard, and their global enablers.
We combine cutting-edge analytics with traditional investigative methods to trace hidden assets, expose shell companies, and map the international flow of dark money sustaining Tehran’s networks of influence.

By integrating open-source intelligence (OSINT), blockchain forensics, and machine learning, ISTO connects the dots between sanctioned individuals, offshore intermediaries, and complicit institutions operating across multiple jurisdictions.
Our goal is to transform complex data into insight, and insight into accountability — empowering governments, regulators, and financial actors to enforce a rules-based global order.

Vision

A transparent international financial system where money cannot hide behind power.
A world in which truth is stronger than censorship, and financial transparency is the standard, not the exception.
We envision a future where Iran’s oligarchic and IRGC-linked networks can no longer exploit global markets to enrich elites, fund militant activity, or undermine international stability.

What We Do

• Track Hidden Wealth: From Tehran to Istanbul, Dubai, London, and beyond, we map how Iran’s sanctioned elites move assets through front companies, charities, and offshore vehicles.
• Unmask Financial Networks: Using AI-driven analytics and blockchain forensics, we detect trade-based money laundering, cryptocurrency transactions, and complex cross-border financial flows linked to IRGC entities.
• Expose the Enablers: We identify the lawyers, brokers, and financial institutions that facilitate sanctions evasion and help regime insiders remain invisible within the global financial system.
• Analyse Illicit Trade: We examine deceptive shipping practices, fictitious invoicing, and smuggling operations that obscure the true origin and ownership of goods, focusing on trade-based financial crime.
• Investigate Cryptocurrency & Sanctions Evasion: We study how digital assets — from privacy coins to DeFi platforms — are weaponised to bypass restrictions and launder proceeds from sanctioned activities.
• Illuminate the Human Cost: Behind every illicit transaction lies a human consequence — citizens deprived of opportunity and prosperity while a corrupt elite consolidates power.
• Collaborate for Impact: Through partnerships with think tanks, journalists, and regulatory bodies, we ensure that evidence-based intelligence informs real-world enforcement and accountability.

Our Approach

At ISTO, we combine advanced technology with investigative integrity.
Our analysts and researchers use big data modelling, forensic accounting, and AI-assisted financial mapping to identify hidden networks, trace illicit wealth, and expose systemic vulnerabilities exploited by the Iranian regime.

We believe transparency is a form of defence against corruption, authoritarianism, and state-sponsored economic manipulation. By providing actionable intelligence and evidence-based research, ISTO helps shape effective sanctions enforcement, inform global stakeholders, and strengthen financial security.

Because following the money is not just about understanding power — it’s about ensuring that power is never beyond the reach of truth.

Funding & Collaboration

ISTO operates as an independent, non-partisan institution.
Our support comes from research grants, partnerships, and contributors who share our commitment to transparency, accountability, and the rule of law.

We actively collaborate with journalists, NGOs, academic institutions, and policymakers who seek to expose corruption, strengthen enforcement, and defend the integrity of the global financial system.