PersonAE

Ali Ansari

Dubai-based financier designated by the US Treasury's OFAC on 10 July 2026 as 'Linked To: KHAMENEI, Mojtaba' and the IRGC, the first Treasury action naming Iran's Supreme Leader directly.

Last refreshed: 15 July 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic

Key Question

Why did the US Treasury sanction a Dubai financier tied to Khamenei's son?

Timeline for Ali Ansari

#155 14 Jul

Dubai-based financier OFAC designated 10 July as linked to Mojtaba Khamenei

Iran Conflict 2026: Mentioned in: Russians named in IRGC arms network

#154 10 Jul

designated as linked to Mojtaba Khamenei and the IRGC

Iran Conflict 2026: OFAC names Khamenei's money man in Dubai

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Background

OFAC designated Dubai-based financier Ali Ansari on 10 July 2026 as 'Linked To: KHAMENEI, Mojtaba' and the IRGC, the first Treasury action naming Mojtaba Khamenei directly. He was named alongside a cluster of Shiraz and Tehran currency-exchange houses and CDM Trading Limited, a Hong Kong trading company, with OFAC issuing Iran General License Y to permit the wind-down of transactions with one of the designated entities, Smart Global Limited.

Ansari holds dual Cypriot and St Kitts and Nevis nationality and operates from Dubai, a base that has long served Iranian-linked financiers seeking distance from direct US jurisdiction while remaining within reach of Gulf banking channels.

The designation sits inside a continuous Treasury sanctions campaign against Iran's shadow financial architecture that has, over preceding months, reached from currency-exchange networks to Chinese and Hong Kong intermediaries. Naming a figure linked directly to Mojtaba Khamenei marks a deliberate escalation, targeting money believed to move closest to the centre of Iran's leadership rather than its outer trading networks.

Common Questions

Reference

What is OFAC's Iran General License Y?

General License Y is a Treasury instrument authorising the wind-down of transactions with Smart Global Limited, one of the entities designated alongside Ali Ansari.Source: OFAC

Who is Ali Ansari, the financier sanctioned by the US Treasury?

Ali Ansari is a Dubai-based financier with dual Cypriot and St Kitts and Nevis nationality, designated by OFAC on 10 July 2026 as linked to Mojtaba Khamenei and the IRGC.Source: OFAC

Where is Ali Ansari based?

Ali Ansari operates from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.Source: OFAC

Why did OFAC sanction Ali Ansari?

OFAC designated Ansari for his links to Mojtaba Khamenei and the IRGC, as part of a cluster of currency-exchange houses and trading firms used to move Iranian regime funds.Source: OFAC

When was Ali Ansari designated by the US Treasury?

OFAC designated Ali Ansari on 10 July 2026.Source: OFAC

How the World Sees Them

UAE

Dubai's role as a financial hub for Iranian-linked money movement draws renewed scrutiny with every new OFAC designation naming a Dubai-based actor. The emirate faces continued pressure to tighten oversight of exchange and trading firms.

Hong Kong

Naming CDM Trading Limited extends the sanctions campaign to an Asian intermediary, adding Hong Kong to the list of jurisdictions used to route Iranian funds. This follows a wider pattern of Treasury action reaching Chinese-linked entities.

Iran / IRGC

Tehran has consistently dismissed US sanctions designations as illegitimate and continues to rely on informal exchange-house networks. The Ansari action targets a channel Iran depends on to move funds outside dollar-clearing scrutiny.

US Treasury

Frames Ansari's designation as a historic first, naming a financier linked directly to Mojtaba Khamenei to choke funding believed to sit closest to Iran's leadership. OFAC paired it with General License Y to manage legitimate wind-down transactions.