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U.S. Sanctions Ali Ansari and Iran-Linked Exchange Houses

The move aims to cut Tehran’s access to foreign currency by threatening banks that facilitate the network with U.S. secondary sanctions.

Signage is seen at the United States Department of the Treasury headquarters in Washington, DC, US, August 29, 2020.
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Overview

  • The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control designated Dubai-based financier Ali Ansari and three Iran-based currency exchange houses on Friday, July 10, 2026, blocking any property under U.S. jurisdiction and prohibiting most transactions by U.S. persons.
  • Officials say Ansari ran a sprawling offshore network that hid regime-linked wealth in shell companies and a Saint Kitts-and-Nevis holding company called Smart Global Limited, which OFAC paired with a narrow wind-down authorization to limit market disruption.
  • The three exchange houses named were Mohammad Darbani and Partners, Lavasani and Partners, and Mohsen Khandan and Partners, which the Treasury says moved large sums of foreign currency for sanctioned Iranian banks through front companies in places such as Hong Kong and the UAE.
  • U.S. officials framed the action as a step to sever financial lifelines for Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s circle and the IRGC, warning that foreign banks or intermediaries that knowingly aid the network could face secondary sanctions.
  • The designations build on earlier measures including UK sanctions and the October 2025 collapse of Ayandeh Bank, and they raise enforcement challenges because assets are spread across Europe, the Gulf, and opaque offshore structures that make tracing and seizure difficult.