TITLE: United States Office of Foreign Assets Control Issues Iran General License and Updates Sanctions Designations
BODY:
On July 10, 2026, the United States Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued Iran General License Y, "Authorizing the Wind Down of Transactions Involving Smart Global Limited," and updated its Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN List) with new Iran-related designations.
OFAC added eight individuals to the SDN List, including Shokufeh Rostam Abadi, Mohammad Darbani, and Ali Ansari, all subject to secondary sanctions. The designations target key financiers and operatives linked to Iran's shadow exchange network and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Ali Ansari, based in Dubai, holds multiple passports from Iran, Cyprus, and Saint Kitts and Nevis, with a secondary sanctions risk designation under Executive Order 13224, as amended by Executive Order 13886. The individuals designated are connected to several exchange companies operating in Iran and the United Arab Emirates.
OFAC simultaneously designated six entities, including Mohammad Darbani and Partners Exchange General Partnership Company, Lavasani and Partners General Partnership Company, Mohsen Khandan and Partners General Partnership Company, and Naba Alzaki Raw Materials Trading LLC. These entities operate as shadow exchange houses facilitating financial transactions outside formal banking channels. Smart Global Limited, incorporated in Saint Kitts and Nevis, was also designated and linked to Ali Ansari. All designated entities are subject to secondary sanctions.
The designations target Iran's informal financial infrastructure, which circumvents international sanctions through unregulated currency exchange operations. Entities and individuals engaged in transactions with the designated parties face potential secondary sanctions exposure. The wind-down license permits a defined period for completing existing transactions with Smart Global Limited before full compliance obligations take effect.
REFERENCES:
Office of Foreign Assets Control. "Iran-related and Counter Terrorism Designations; Issuance of Iran-related General License." July 10, 2026. https://home.treasury.gov/news-room/press-releases/jy1445