‘Blatant corruption’: New US sanctions target Mojtaba Khamenei’s moneyman

The United States has imposed new sanctions on Iran, targeting Ali Ansari, a key financier for Mojtaba Khamenei, the presumed successor to Iran's Supreme Leader. The sanctions also encompass 13 additional individuals and entities, according to a statement from the Treasury Department. This action follows a recent escalation in tensions, marked by Iran's renewed attacks on commercial oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.

Ansari, an Iranian banker and businessman based in Dubai, has previously faced sanctions from Britain for his alleged role in financially supporting the activities of Iran's Revolutionary Guards. The US Treasury claims that Ansari has diverted public funds into an extensive overseas portfolio of real estate and commercial holdings, enriching himself, government elites, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

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The United States is taking decisive action to cut off the financial lifelines sustaining Iran’s ruling elite. By targeting these networks, the United States is directly disrupting the regime’s ability to access foreign currency and conduct international financial activity.

British media reports have linked Ansari to the acquisition of luxury apartments in London, some of which are reportedly owned by Mojtaba Khamenei. The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) also sanctioned three Iran-based exchange houses and foreign "front companies" accused of facilitating billions of dollars in transactions annually for sanctioned Iranian banks through a network of shell companies.

State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott stated that the US is taking "decisive action to cut off the financial lifelines sustaining Iran’s ruling elite." He emphasized that these measures directly disrupt the regime's ability to access foreign currency and conduct international financial activities. The sanctions were announced amid a period of relative calm following a week of renewed conflict, which included Iranian attacks on Qatari and Saudi commercial tankers and retaliatory strikes on US military sites in Gulf states.

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The US Treasury on Friday sanctioned Iranian tycoon Ali Ansari, citing his links to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and the Revolutionary Guards, as part of a broader action targeting illicit finance networks.