The United States issues new Iran-related sanctions after Iran resumes attacks on international shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, the US Treasury Department says. The measures are published through the Treasury’s sanctions listing and target 14 individuals and entities, including Ali Ansari, an Iranian banker and businessman based in Dubai. Treasury says Ansari was previously sanctioned by Britain for financially supporting the activities of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and other groups. Reuters reporting cited by multiple outlets also says the sanctions include a wider set of people and entities linked to supporting or enabling Iran’s leadership and financial networks, and references Ansari as a key financier for Iran’s new leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.
Additional sanctioned parties include three Iran-based exchange houses and foreign “front companies” that the Treasury says move billions of dollars annually for sanctioned Iranian banks. US officials say these firms use layers of shell companies to obscure illicit activity. In a statement, the US State Department describes the sanctions as disrupting networks that provide access to foreign currency and enable international financial activity. The outlets agree the sanctions follow the renewed Strait of Hormuz shipping disruptions.
