ZeroFox Physical Security Intelligence Daily Brief - February 7, 2025

ZeroFox Physical Security Intelligence Daily Brief - February 7, 2025

ZeroFox physical security experts collect, curate, and analyze information derived from open and proprietary sources for comprehensive context of the circumstances surrounding global events. Here is today’s daily roundup of major developments.

Brief Highlights

• Treasury Targets Oil Network Generating Hundreds of Millions of Dollars for Iran’s Military
• Philippine Vice President Duterte Impeached for Assassination Threat and Misuse of Funds
• Russia Accused of Orchestrating Nationwide Sabotage Campaign Linked to February 23 Germany Elections

Treasury Targets Oil Network Generating Hundreds of Millions of Dollars for Iran’s Military

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is sanctioning an international network for facilitating the shipment of millions of barrels of Iranian crude oil worth hundreds of millions of dollars to the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The oil was shipped on behalf of Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff (AFGS) and its sanctioned front company, Sepehr Energy Jahan Nama Pars (Sepehr Energy). Sepehr Energy and its affiliate companies, which operate under the umbrella of the AFGS, reportedly use deceitful evasion methods such as falsification of maritime documents to obfuscate the Iranian origin of the oil that it trades and transports to overseas buyers, including the PRC. This revenue stream generates billions of dollars for the AFGS each year, used to fund Iran’s military and proxies and their destabilizing activities around the world. Iran generates the equivalent of billions of dollars each year via oil sales to fund its destabilizing regional activities and support of multiple regional terrorist groups, including Hamas, the Houthis, and Hezbollah.

Philippine Vice President Duterte Impeached for Assassination Threat and Misuse of Funds

The Philippine House of Representatives impeached Vice President (VP) Sara Duterte for threatening to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and for allegedly misusing public funds. Duterte became the first VP to be impeached with 215 of the 306-member Senate in support of her impeachment. However, the Senate held off deciding whether Duterte should be ousted until June. If 15 out of the 23 sitting senators agree to convict her for impeachable offenses, she will be removed as vice president, but senators may also vote to throw out the impeachment instead to keep her in office. Her impeachment likely signals an intensified feud with her former ally President Marcos and his supposed intent to curtail Duterte’s presidential ambitions ahead of the midterm elections on May 12. Duterte's father, the previous president Rodrigo Duterte, called on the armed forces to intervene on his daughter's behalf, highlighting the potential for social unrest between the two powerful families.

Russia Accused of Orchestrating Nationwide Sabotage Campaign Linked to February 23 Germany Elections

German authorities accused Russia of orchestrating a nationwide campaign to vandalize vehicles ahead of the February 23, 2025 elections. Hundreds of vehicles have been vandalized across the country with car exhausts filled with construction foam and pictures of Green Party member Robert Habeck pasted onto vehicles. Authorities claim the attacks were aimed to discredit the Green Party. The Green Party is a member of the outgoing coalition government, and there is a roughly equal chance the Greens could be members of the next coalition government. Russia has been accused of targeting mainstream parties in Germany, hoping to increase the electoral chances of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.