US President Donald Trump reacts while speaking to the press on the day of the NATO leaders' summit in Ankara, Turkey, on July 8, 2026 REUTERS/Umit Bektas The United States announced this Friday (10) new sanctions related to Iran amid the escalation of tensions in the Middle East. The measures target Ali Ansari, an Iranian banker and businessman based in Dubai, as well as 13 other people and entities. According to the US Treasury Department, the sanctions were adopted after Tehran's resumption of attacks against oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, a maritime channel through which around 20% of global oil consumption passes. ? Ansari had already been sanctioned by the United Kingdom for his alleged role in financial support for the activities of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, the American government said in justifying the measure. The Trump administration also described the banker as an "important financier" of the new Iranian leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, and claimed that he had diverted public resources to build a broad portfolio of real estate and business interests abroad. According to American authorities, the resources would have benefited the businessman himself, members of the government elite and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Trump administration imposes new sanctions on Iran and includes banker among targets
US President Donald Trump reacts while speaking to the press on the day of the NATO leaders' summit in Ankara, Turkey, on July 8, 2026 REUTERS/Umit Bektas The United States announced this Friday (10) new sanctions...
In practice, sanctions include the blocking of assets under US jurisdiction, the restriction of transactions by American citizens and companies with sanctioned targets and the possibility of punishments against foreigners who maintain certain businesses with these entities. The US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) also sanctioned Iranian exchange houses and foreign "shell" companies. According to the US government, these entities moved billions of dollars a year on behalf of sanctioned Iranian banks and used a network of intermediaries to hide the operations. OFAC also announced measures against Iranian citizens involved with some of these exchanges. Among the targets are CDM Trading Limited, based in Hong Kong, which, according to the agency, carried out financial transactions through these institutions, and Naba Alzaki Raw Materials Trading LLC, from the United Arab Emirates. Escalation of tensions The new sanctions were announced after a week of renewed clashes. During the period, three commercial tankers from Qatar and Saudi Arabia were hit by Iranian fire, according to the US. The episode led Washington to attack targets in Iran, which responded with attacks on American military installations in Gulf countries. US President Donald Trump said on Friday that the ceasefire agreed with Iran had ended, but said Washington had agreed to continue negotiations at Tehran's request. In a statement on the new sanctions, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the department would continue "to use all the tools at its disposal" to isolate Khamenei and other senior Iranian officials from the global financial system. Iran has said it is prepared for "total defense" if the US violates the memorandum of understanding reached last month. In a post on Telegram, the country's main negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, declared that the war will never end with Tehran's surrender. For Brett Erickson, managing director at Obsidian Risk Advisors, the new sanctions sent a clear message to Tehran. "Washington is no longer trying to preserve the existing structure. It is preparing to completely replace it," he said. * With information from Reuters news agency
