On the 10th (local time), the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced sanctions against the personal banker of Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei. These sanctions target his overseas asset network, which generates profits for the Iranian leadership.

According to the government, the banker, Ali Ansari, is an Iranian national residing in Dubai. He has utilized his connections with the Iranian regime to embezzle government funds and build a "global network of investment properties and financial assets."

Intelligence agencies indicate that his efforts contribute to enriching not only the Supreme Leader himself but also the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a paramilitary organization tasked with maintaining the Islamic revolutionary regime.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated, "The so-called Supreme Leader is living in seclusion while his regime crumbles. The Treasury Department will use all available means to isolate him and the regime's elites from the international financial system." He further added, "We will preserve these assets for the people of Iran." 

The Treasury Department stated that these new sanctions are a direct response to Iran’s attack on a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz earlier this month. This attack shattered the fragile ceasefire that had been maintained between Tehran and Washington under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) brokered by U.S. Vice President JD Vance.

In addition to the sanctions on Ansari and his network, the Treasury announced measures targeting Iranian currency exchange houses that facilitate funds for sanctioned Iranian banks.

President Donald Trump announced on Friday that Iran had requested a resumption of peace talks with the U.S. and that he had agreed to them, but he emphasized that he would not halt combat operations while talks were underway.

He stated on Truth Social, "The Islamic Republic of Iran has asked to continue 'dialogue' with us. We have agreed, but the U.S. has made it clear to the Iranian side that the ceasefire is over."

President Trump declared the ceasefire void earlier this week as he resumed airstrikes against Iran, alleging that the Iranian side had not negotiated in good faith.

On the same day, Central Command released a video on X showing the George H.W. Bush carrier strike group conducting nighttime fighter jet operations in the regional waters.

Last month, the U.S. and Iran signed an MOU to extend a 60-day ceasefire. Although the war began in February, a nominal state of ceasefire had been maintained for months despite intermittent clashes.

Full-scale hostilities between the two sides resumed this week.

Previously, on Thursday the 9th, Central Command stated in a fact-check on X that while "Iranian state media claims that transit through the Strait of Hormuz is permitted only via routes designated by Iran," the truth is that "Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz. Since early May, the U.S. military has successfully supported the transit of over 800 commercial vessels and more than 380 million barrels of crude oil through this vital international trade corridor."

U.S. NNP = CEO & Senior Reporter Sung Ku Hong / NNP Special Correspondent info@newsandpost.com