VOA:

U.S. officials are spotlighting Iran’s efforts to spread its influence across the Middle East with what they describe as a “large-scale” counterfeiting operation, sophisticated enough to fool some European regulators.

Treasury officials in Washington exposed the counterfeiting ring Monday, sanctioning a network of individuals and companies, including two based in Germany, linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and its elite Qods Force.

The department said Iran used the German-based front companies ForEnt Technik and Printing Trade Center (PTC) to trick European regulators in order to acquire watermarked paper, specialty ink and machinery.

The export of those items to Iran is currently banned.

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