Key facts
- The U.S. imposed new sanctions on Friday targeting an Iranian banker and businessman, Ali Ansari.
- The sanctions also included 13 other individuals and entities, including three Iran-based exchange houses and foreign front companies.
- Treasury stated that Ali Ansari diverted publicly funded wealth into an overseas portfolio of real estate and commercial holdings.
- The targeted exchange houses and front companies allegedly moved billions of dollars annually for sanctioned Iranian banks.
- The U.S. aims to disrupt the Iranian regime's access to foreign currency and international financial activity.
The United States has imposed a new round of sanctions targeting individuals and entities linked to Iran's financial networks, according to the Treasury Department. The sanctions, announced Friday, are aimed at disrupting the financial lifelines of Iran's ruling elite and its ability to conduct international financial activities.
Central to the action is Ali Ansari, an Iranian banker and businessman based in Dubai, who was previously sanctioned by Britain. The Treasury stated that Ansari diverted public funds into an extensive overseas portfolio of real estate and commercial holdings, enriching himself and government elites, including those connected to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
In addition to Ansari, the sanctions target three Iran-based exchange houses and foreign "front companies." The Treasury alleges these entities facilitated the movement of billions of dollars annually on behalf of sanctioned Iranian banks, employing shell companies to conceal illicit government activities.
State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott emphasized that the U.S. is taking decisive action to cut off these financial networks, thereby directly hindering the regime's access to foreign currency and its capacity for international financial transactions. The move follows Iran's recent resumption of attacks on oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.