US Issues Fresh Iran Sanctions Amid Tanker Attacks

US vs IRAN – (Special Correspondent/Web Desk)United States has rolled out fresh sanctions targeting a top financier linked to Iran’s Supreme Leader, days after Tehran renewed attacks on oil tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

The Treasury Department named Ali Ansari, a Dubai-based Iranian banker, as the central figure in the latest sanctions package. He had already faced UK sanctions over claims that he helped fund Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and related groups.

Officials say Ansari quietly moved public wealth into a wide network of overseas real estate and business holdings. This money, they claim, benefited both regime insiders and the Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Alongside Ansari, the Treasury also blacklisted three currency exchange firms operating inside Iran. These exchange houses were accused of moving huge sums of money each year for banks already under US sanctions.

Iran has so far kept its word, unlike the so-called U.S. Treasury Secretary who is violating Para 9 of the MoU.

That violation follows other violations and missteps by the United States.

Reality check: There can only be mutual compliance.

— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) July 11, 2026

Investigators say the network relied on a maze of shell companies to hide where the money was really going. This helped Iranian institutions dodge existing financial restrictions.

A State Department spokesperson said the goal was to choke off the financial channels keeping Iran’s leadership funded, cutting their access to foreign currency and global banking systems.

The sanctions landed on a quieter day, following a tense week that saw Iranian forces strike three commercial tankers linked to Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The US responded by hitting Iranian targets, and Iran retaliated against American military sites in the Gulf.

President Donald Trump said the earlier ceasefire understanding with Iran had effectively collapsed, though he confirmed talks would continue at Tehran’s request.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said his department would keep using every available tool to isolate Khamenei and senior Iranian officials from world financial markets.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi pushed back sharply, accusing Washington of breaching part of the earlier understanding between the two nations. He argued that Iran had honored its side of the deal so far.

Iran’s chief negotiator also warned that his country was prepared for what he called full-scale defense if the US crossed the terms of last month’s agreement. He insisted Tehran would not back down.

An analyst from a risk advisory firm said the new sanctions signal something bigger than routine pressure. In his view, Washington appears to be moving away from the existing framework altogether, preparing a different approach entirely.

Records show Ansari once ran a now-collapsed Iranian bank that Iranian authorities shut down themselves in mid-October last year. He allegedly funneled funds through a network of holding companies based in Saint Kitts and Nevis, investing heavily in European and Gulf properties.

Treasury officials believe many of these assets, while registered under Ansari’s name, actually served the financial interests of Khamenei’s family and other protected regime figures.

The latest sanctions also hit individuals connected to the exchange houses, along with a Hong Kong trading firm and a UAE-based raw materials company accused of facilitating these financial transactions.

With tensions rising again in the Gulf, analysts expect Washington to continue tightening financial pressure on Tehran in the weeks ahead.