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Iran says it 'kept its word' on ceasefire as US sanctions Khamenei-lilnked network

Mourners wave a national flag as the gather to pay tribute to Iran's slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei at the Grand Mosalla on the second day of funeral ceremonies in Tehran, July 5, 2026. (AFP Photo)
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Mourners wave a national flag as the gather to pay tribute to Iran's slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei at the Grand Mosalla on the second day of funeral ceremonies in Tehran, July 5, 2026. (AFP Photo)
July 11, 2026 11:01 AM GMT+03:00

Iran insisted Saturday it had "kept its word" on a ceasefire with the United States, accusing Washington of violating the memorandum of understanding (MoU), after U.S. President Donald Trump said the truce was over even as he agreed to further negotiations with Tehran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post on X that Tehran "has so far kept its word, unlike the so-called U.S. Treasury Secretary who is violating Para 9 of the MoU."

That provision calls for Iran to maintain the status quo of its nuclear program and for the United States to refrain from imposing new sanctions or deploying additional forces to the region, pending a final deal.

"That violation follows other violations and missteps by the United States," Araghchi said, adding, "Reality check: There can only be mutual compliance."

Araghchi's statement came after Trump, in a Truth Social post late Friday, threatened to "completely decimate" Iran should there be an attempt on his life, and after he separately wrote: "The Islamic Republic of Iran has asked us to continue 'talks.' We have agreed to do so, but the United States has stated to them, in no uncertain terms, that the Cease Fire is over!"

Earlier in the week, at the NATO summit in Ankara, Trump had also declared the ceasefire over, saying of Tehran: "It's just a waste of time dealing with them."

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi meets with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Baghdad, Iraq, June 28, 2026. (AA Photo)
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi meets with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Baghdad, Iraq, June 28, 2026. (AA Photo)

US sanctions network linked to Khamenei's inner circle

The dispute over the memorandum's status came as the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced new sanctions Friday targeting a financial network it said was tied to Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.

OFAC designated Dubai-based Iranian national Ali Ansari, whom it linked to Khamenei and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), along with Saint Kitts and Nevis-based holding company Smart Global Limited and three Iran-based currency exchange houses: Mohammad Darbani and Partners Exchange, Mohsen Khandan and Partners Exchange, and Lavasani and Partners Exchange.

According to OFAC, Ansari previously owned and directed the now-defunct, U.S.-sanctioned Ayandeh Bank, using the position to issue loans backed by Iran's central bank to his own companies before the bank's dissolution in October 2025.

OFAC said Ansari subsequently used Smart Global Limited to invest in real estate and commercial properties across Germany, Luxembourg, Spain, the United Kingdom, Greek Cyprus and the United Arab Emirates, with many holdings ultimately benefiting Khamenei, his family and other regime figures.

"The so-called Supreme Leader is hiding in seclusion while his regime crumbles," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in the agency's statement.

"Treasury will continue using every tool at its disposal to isolate him and other regime elites from the global financial system. We will preserve these assets for the Iranian people," he noted.

OFAC said the three exchange houses collectively move billions of dollars annually on behalf of sanctioned Iranian banks, with Khandan Exchange alone holding more than $117 million on their behalf.

The designations were issued under executive orders targeting Iran's financial and petroleum sectors, the Supreme Leader's network, and counterterrorism authorities.

Crowds of mourners gather on a street around a portrait of Iran's supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, ahead of the funeral procession of Iran's slain supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, in Mashhad, July 9, 2026. (AFP Photo)
Crowds of mourners gather on a street around a portrait of Iran's supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, ahead of the funeral procession of Iran's slain supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, in Mashhad, July 9, 2026. (AFP Photo)

Washington sets Hormuz deadline, per Axios and Politico

Axios and Politico reported that Washington had given Tehran until Saturday to stop firing on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz and to acknowledge that the waterway is open.

The strait, a vital global oil shipping route comprising Iranian and Omani territorial waters, has been a central point of contention since Iran effectively closed it in response to the war triggered by U.S.-Israeli strikes in late February.

Iran has said it must control passage through Hormuz and has expressed a desire to charge transiting vessels fees, powers it did not exercise before the war and that it does not generally hold under international law.

The U.S. Treasury Department separately revoked a temporary sanctions waiver for Iranian oil this week, canceling a license announced in June that had allowed Tehran to produce, sell and deliver crude oil and related products through Aug. 21.

U.S. and Iranian delegations have held one round of direct talks in Switzerland since signing the memorandum of understanding, along with indirect negotiations in Qatar, but there has been no sign of diplomatic progress since.

July 11, 2026 11:01 AM GMT+03:00
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