Hossein Shamkhani, the son of Iran’s former national security chief, used citizenship-by-investment programs to gain access to the international banking system, Bloomberg reported on Monday.
Shamkhani and his associates secured Dominican passports, later using them to obtain passports from European Union countries like Malta and Cyprus, allowing them to bypass compliance checks from major global financial institutions.
These moves helped his empire gain acceptance from Wall Street banks and Western oil majors, despite his alleged involvement in Iran’s arms dealings with Russia.
Shamkhani’s efforts to keep his business dealings confidential allowed him to build relationships with key global financial figures across hubs like Dubai, Geneva, and London.
Bloomberg’s investigation, based on interviews with more than four dozen people familiar with his network, also highlighted his lobbying efforts in Washington to influence US policy and avoid sanctions enforcement.
A member of Iran’s Guardian Council has cautioned that if popular demands for certain freedoms, which he described as aligned with plans by adversaries, are overlooked, the country risks facing a scenario similar to Syria.
“Negligence by officials and certain groups in society could bring us to a situation like we saw in Syria,” said Mehdi Shabzandehdar, drawing parallels to the ouster of Bashar al-Assad in Syria.
He said that “certain freedoms” align with enemy plans to undermine the Islamic Republic. “The freedoms that a small group pursues, which have significant conflicts of interest and great harms, must be carefully scrutinized as they align with the enemies’ plans,” he said.
He warned that if such actions weaken public attachment to Islam, the Islamic Revolution, and its values, “it will be a day of celebration for our enemies.”
His remarks come amid growing defiance of mandatory hijab laws by Iranian women and broader demands for social freedoms across the country.
Israel has announced the arrest of a 29-year-old man suspected of spying for Iran, the latest in a string of cases of Iran-backed plots being carried out by Israeli citizens.
A joint statement from Israel’s security services and the police, said that Alexander Granovsky, a resident of Petah Tikva, was arrested this month after being suspected of spying for Iran, in a plot which had involved photographing the entrance to former defense minister Benny Gantz's residential neighborhood.
He is also accused of setting eight cars on fire around Israel and photographing a sensitive facility in the center of the country.
Granovsky had also sprayed "Children of Ruhollah” on various buildings, referring to Iran’s first Supreme Leader, Ruhollah Khomeini.
The investigation also revealed that the man’s handlers discussed with him the possibility of obtaining a rifle and grenades to shoot at houses.
He had also been asked to gather information on the residential addresses of ministers in the Israeli government, and to set fire to a police car, a bus, and a truck, but Alexander refused to carry out the tasks.
A prosecutor's statement was filed against him on Monday and an indictment is expected to be filed against him in the Central District Court in the coming days.
A statement from Israel Police said Granovsky had, like those cases previously, been lured by money.
"This case joins a series of cases from the past year that teaches about repeated efforts by terrorist and hostile intelligence agencies to recruit Israeli citizens for the sake of carrying out tasks intended to harm the security of the country of Israel and its inhabitants,” the statement said.
Multiple cases have been foiled in Israel this year as Iran steps up its attempts to infiltrate the country through its citizens in the wake of the Gaza war. Arrests of both men and women have taken place this year from all over Israel, in cash for intelligence plots.
The spokesman for Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) has dismissed the significance of Donald Trump’s presidency on the future of Iran. While Trump has vowed maximum pressure policy on Iran, Tehran's leadership have remained dismissive of its impact.
“Whether it is Donald Trump or any other president, the strategy remains unchanged, and nothing will alter our path,” said Ramezan Sharif on Monday, speaking at an event in Amol, northern Iran, commemorating the late IRGC commander Qassem Soleimani.
Sharif added that Iran’s stance remains consistent in the face of 46 years of US hostility, adding, “While American leaders have clung to their positions, we have steadfastly upheld our revolutionary beliefs and principles.”
Earlier in December, US president-elect Donald Trump's newly appointed Middle East advisor, Massad Boulos, said the incoming administration would revive its maximum pressure strategy against Iran, signaling a clear intent to enforce the country's isolation.
An Iranian website aligned with the Supreme National Security Council has published a report depicting Syria's new rulers as grappling with dissent and internal conflicts, after what amounted to a historic regional setback for Tehran.
Nour News, allegedly still controlled by the Council’s former secretary Ali Shamkhani, wrote, “Syrian sources have reported the emergence of resistance cells in response to escalating attacks by forces under the command of Jolani. Meanwhile, a prominent Arab tribal leader in Syria has confirmed intense clashes between Jolani’s fighters and Iraqi tribal groups.”
While Iran’s diplomatic officials have maintained a cautious tone when addressing Syria’s new rulers, earlier this month, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei openly called for resistance against the authority of Ahmad al-Sharaa (Jolani).
Several Tehran-based publications, along with hardline political and military figures, have voiced more blunt and critical opinions about the Islamist forces that have replaced former president Bashar al-Assad.
Nour news alleged in its report that the new authorities have committed multiple crimes in recent days leading to the formation of resistance groups.
Referring to unknown sources, Nour News wrote, “In the past three weeks, numerous crimes have been committed against Syrian citizens and minorities, particularly in the coastal regions of the country. The emergence of resistance forces in Syria could clarify the trajectory of developments, as public anger grows in response to the aggressions by Jolani's forces.”
Nour News went on listing a number of alleged incidents even in Damascus, and continued to label the new authorities as representing Tahrir al-Sham “terrorists.”
This stance by Iran’s security establishment may indicate a potential interest in destabilizing Syria under the new anti-Assad forces. However, Tehran’s levers of influence appear limited.
Its proxy groups in Iraq seem to have adopted a cautious approach, likely due to government pressure, while in Syria, Iran has little remaining influence to pose a significant challenge to Damascus.
In a possible bid to reach out a hand to Tehran after its weakening position in the country, he said that "a broad segment [of the country] aspires to a positive Iranian role in the region" as the rulers of Syria move forward, and the Syrian population having seen both Iran and Russia siding with Assad in the 13-year-long civil war.
Iran's Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance said on Monday that Italian journalist Cecilia Sala was arrested in Tehran for violating Iranian laws, without detailing any specific charges.
"Cecilia Sala, an Italian citizen, traveled to Iran on December 13, 2024, with a journalist visa and was arrested on December 19, 2024, on charges of violating the laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Her case is currently under investigation," a statement by the ministry said.
It added: "The arrest was carried out in accordance with relevant regulations, and the Italian Embassy in Tehran has been informed. Consular access has been provided to Sala during this period, and she has been in telephone contact with her family."
While emphasizing the country's openness to international journalists, the ministry did not specify the exact charges against Sala.
On Sunday, Washington urged Iran to release Sala, a case likely related to Italy's arrest of an Iranian businessman on terrorism charges at the behest of the United States.
Sala’s detention in Tehran may be linked to the arrest of a Swiss-Iranian businessman at Malpensa Airport three days earlier on a US warrant for allegedly violating sanctions on electronic exports, La Repubblica said citing his lawyer.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Saturday that Sala is in good health and is being held alone in a cell in Evin Prison. Tajani called for media discretion over the case and confirmed that Sala has spoken to her parents twice by phone. Italian Ambassador to Tehran Paola Amadei has also visited her in prison.
