U.S. Sanctions Iranian Financier Ali Ansari to Disrupt Elite Wealth

The United States Department of the Treasury imposed a major sanctions package on July 10 and 11, 2026, targeting a global financial network used by the Iranian regime to enrich its leadership. The measures center on Dubai-based financier Ali Ansari and his holding company, Smart Global Limited, which U.S. officials claim managed a transnational syndicate of real estate and commercial assets across Europe and the Middle East.

Treasury officials accuse Ansari of institutionalizing large-scale embezzlement by diverting public wealth into an overseas portfolio. These assets reportedly benefited Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, his family, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. To disrupt this shadow banking system, the U.S. also sanctioned three Iranian exchange houses—Mohammad Darbani and Partners, Lavasani and Partners, and Mohsen Khandan and Partners—along with front companies in Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates that facilitated billions of dollars in transactions for sanctioned banks.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated the actions aim to isolate regime elites from the global financial system and preserve assets for the Iranian people. The sanctions follow a resumption of Iranian strikes on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.