US imposes fresh Iran sanctions, blacklists 13 individuals over alleged financial network

WASHINGTON: The United States has announced a fresh round of sanctions targeting Iran, blacklisting 13 individuals and several entities accused of helping finance the country’s leadership and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) through an alleged international financial network.

According to international media reports, the latest measures focus on Ali Ansari, an Iranian banker and businessman based in Dubai, whom US authorities accuse of facilitating financial transactions for senior Iranian officials and the IRGC. Washington alleges that Ansari played a central role in helping move funds through a network of businesses and financial institutions operating across multiple jurisdictions.

The US Treasury Department said the sanctions are part of its ongoing efforts to disrupt Iran’s access to the global financial system and restrict revenue streams that could be used to support activities deemed threatening to regional and international security.

In addition to Ansari, the sanctions target 12 other individuals, three Iranian exchange houses, and several companies that US officials describe as front businesses allegedly used to conceal financial transactions and bypass existing sanctions.

Under the new measures, all assets belonging to the designated individuals and entities that fall under US jurisdiction will be frozen. American citizens and businesses are also prohibited from engaging in transactions with those listed, while foreign companies dealing with the sanctioned network could face secondary sanctions.

US officials said the action is intended to increase economic pressure on Iran’s leadership by limiting its ability to access foreign currency reserves and international banking channels. The Treasury Department maintained that dismantling such financial networks remains a key element of Washington’s broader sanctions strategy toward Tehran.

The announcement comes at a time of continued tensions between the United States and Iran over regional security, nuclear-related concerns and economic restrictions. Relations between the two countries have remained strained despite intermittent diplomatic efforts aimed at easing tensions.

Iranian authorities have repeatedly rejected similar US accusations in the past, describing unilateral sanctions as illegal and politically motivated. Tehran has consistently argued that such measures violate international norms and are designed to exert economic pressure on the Iranian people rather than achieve diplomatic solutions.

The latest sanctions are expected to further complicate already fragile relations between Washington and Tehran, while increasing scrutiny of financial networks suspected of facilitating cross-border transactions linked to sanctioned Iranian individuals and institutions. Analysts say the move signals that the United States intends to maintain financial pressure on Iran even as broader geopolitical tensions in the Middle East continue to evolve.