New US sanctions on Iran-linked individuals and entities

As tensions between the US and Iran escalate, the US Department of the Treasury has announced new sanctions on Iran-linked individuals and entities following Iran's resumption of attacks on international maritime shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

In a statement, the Department noted that the sanctions target Iranian banker and businessman Ali Ansari, who resides in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), along with several other individuals and entities.

The statement alleged that Ansari is one of the "key financiers" for Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, claiming he enriched himself, high-ranking figures in the Iranian administration, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) by transferring wealth generated from public resources into extensive overseas real estate and commercial assets.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Department of the Treasury reported that several major Iranian currency exchange houses, which it claims process billions of dollars in transactions annually on behalf of sanctioned Iranian banks and conceal the Iranian government's illicit financial activities through a network of front companies, have also been added to the sanctions list.

The Treasury Department noted that Ali Ansari had previously been placed on a sanctions list by the United Kingdom on the grounds that he provided financial support to IRGC activities.

News Source: 12punto