Ankara / Anatolia

The US Treasury Department announced Friday the imposition of sanctions on individuals and companies it said are linked to Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said in a statement that the sanctions included Iranian businessman Ali Ansari, accused of working for Mojtaba Khamenei and other Iranian government officials, and acting as a 'financial intermediary' for Tehran.

The statement explained that Ansari transferred wealth collected from public resources into a broad portfolio of real estate and commercial assets outside Iran.

It noted that the sanctions also targeted Iranian exchange companies that the Treasury said conducted transactions on behalf of sanctioned Iranian banks, using a number of shell companies.

It added that the sanctions list also included Mohammad Derbani, Mohsen Khandan, Ahmad Navai Lavasani, and Amir Navai, for their connection to the exchange company 'Partners Exchange'.

The Treasury also placed 'Smart Global Limited', registered in St. Kitts and Nevis, on the sanctions list, claiming its connection to Ali Ansari.

The sanctions come amid ongoing military escalation between the United States and Iran, with Washington announcing it had carried out strikes targeting Iranian military sites, including air defense systems, missile and drone storage sites, naval capabilities, and logistical infrastructure on the Iranian coast.

In response, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced it had targeted US military bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan, warning of expanding its attacks if US strikes continue.

The Gulf region has been witnessing escalating tension since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war on Iran on February 28 last.

Following the signing of a memorandum of understanding by Washington and Tehran on June 18 last, negotiations continue between the two sides, mediated by Qatar and Pakistan, aiming to reach a final agreement.