Dominica Revokes Citizenship of Iranian Official's Son Amid Sanctions Probe
The Caribbean nation of Dominica has revoked the citizenship of Abolfazl Shamkhani, son of the late Iranian official Ali Shamkhani, following an investigation by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP). Authorities accused Shamkhani of concealing his father’s high-level political ties to secure a 'golden passport' under the alias 'Sami Hayek' in 2020. The OCCRP revealed that Abolfazl and his brother, sanctioned oil tycoon Hossein Shamkhani, used these Dominican identities to acquire a $29 million luxury real estate portfolio in Dubai. This move aims to evade Western sanctions targeting Hossein’s alleged illicit oil smuggling network benefiting Iran and Russia. The revocation mirrors the earlier cancellation of Hossein’s citizenship in August 2025. U.S. prosecutors are also pursuing civil forfeiture of funds linked to the brothers’ front companies. Amid escalating geopolitical tensions and recent airstrikes killing senior Iranian officials, Dominica is tightening its Citizenship by Investment program to prevent further exploitation by sanctioned individuals seeking to hide their connections and travel undetected.
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Dominica Revokes Citizenship of Iranian Official's Son Amid Sanctions Probe
The Caribbean nation of Dominica has revoked the citizenship of Abolfazl Shamkhani, son of the late Iranian official Ali Shamkhani, following an investigation by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP). Authorities accused Shamkhani of concealing his father’s high-level political ties to secure a 'golden passport' under the alias 'Sami Hayek' in 2020. The OCCRP revealed that Abolfazl and his brother, sanctioned oil tycoon Hossein Shamkhani, used these Dominican identities to acquire a $29 million luxury real estate portfolio in Dubai. This move aims to evade Western sanctions targeting Hossein’s alleged illicit oil smuggling network benefiting Iran and Russia. The revocation mirrors the earlier cancellation of Hossein’s citizenship in August 2025. U.S. prosecutors are also pursuing civil forfeiture of funds linked to the brothers’ front companies. Amid escalating geopolitical tensions and recent airstrikes killing senior Iranian officials, Dominica is tightening its Citizenship by Investment program to prevent further exploitation by sanctioned individuals seeking to hide their connections and travel undetected.
OCCRP