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Every state-changing event for Hossein Ali Zaker Hossein: moderation decisions on community submissions, plus corrections and updates from the news pipeline. URL-based decisions are designed to carry three independent witnesses — the original source, an Internet Archive snapshot, and a Solana memo signed by our publicly-disclosed publisher key. Archive coverage is still being backfilled, so each decision below reports its own snapshot status rather than assuming one exists.

1. #1publishby system:backfill

   2026-09-20 23:08:09Z
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   {"actor":"system:backfill","investigation_id":"f1ace6e8-a8c9-428a-95ef-247f699e7121","kind":"publish","page_slug":"hossein-ali-zaker-hossein","published_at":"2026-09-20T23:08:09.044Z","sequence_num":1,"snapshot":{"content_type":"investigation","entity_name":"Hossein Ali Zaker Hossein","sections":[{"content":"On September 17, 2026, OFAC added Hossein Ali Zaker Hossein to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) List under the Iran sanctions program governed by Executive Order 13902. The designation was issued as part of Operation Economic Outcast, a broad economic campaign against the Iranian regime announced by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on August 24, 2026. His SDN entry lists him as an Iranian male born May 23, 1957, in Shiraz, Iran, with a last known address on Kish Island, Iran. Identifying documents on file include Iranian passport B61766700 (expiring February 20, 2028) and national ID number 2296622909. The designation explicitly notes he is subject to secondary sanctions, meaning non-U.S. persons who engage in significant transactions with him may also be exposed to U.S. sanctions. His entry is linked to previously designated individual Babak Morteza Zanjani.","heading":"OFAC Designation and Legal Status","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"OFAC Recent Actions — September 17, 2026 Iran-related Designations","type":"regulatory","url":"https://ofac.treasury.gov/recent-actions/20260917"},{"credibility":1,"name":"Operation Economic Outcast Disrupts Digital Asset Exchange Enabling the Iranian Regime — U.S. Treasury Press Release","type":"regulatory","url":"https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0632"}]},{"content":"According to the OFAC designation and Treasury's accompanying press release, Hossein Ali Zaker Hossein served as an executive within Babak Zanjani's Dot One Value Creation Group, a Tehran-based conglomerate with operations across logistics, telecommunications, aviation, transportation, and digital assets. OFAC alleges he was 'involved in the majority of Zanjani's sanctions evasion activity,' functioning as what multiple credible news reports describe as a principal lieutenant within the network. The Treasury press release specifically identifies two categories of alleged conduct: (1) participation in the export of Iranian oil in circumvention of U.S. sanctions, and (2) brokering digital asset transactions that allegedly reached the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). OFAC's legal theory of designation is that he acted 'on behalf of' Babak Zanjani, who had himself been designated on January 30, 2026, and again on July 24, 2026. These are OFAC allegations made in a civil regulatory context; no criminal charges have been filed as of the date of this investigation.","heading":"Alleged Role in Zanjani's Sanctions Evasion Network","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"Operation Economic Outcast Disrupts Digital Asset Exchange Enabling the Iranian Regime — U.S. Treasury Press Release","type":"regulatory","url":"https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0632"},{"credibility":1,"name":"Operation Economic Outcast — GlobalSecurity.org (Treasury text mirror)","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/iran/2026/09/iran-260917-treasury01.htm"},{"credibility":2,"name":"US Sanctions Iranian Exchange BitBank Over Bitcoin Transfers to the IRGC and Hormuz Passage Fees — Unchained Crypto","type":"news_article","url":"https://unchainedcrypto.com/us-sanctions-iranian-exchange-bitbank-over-bitcoin-transfers-to-the-irgc-and-hormuz-passage-fees/"}]},{"content":"BitBank is an Iranian digital asset exchange that OFAC alleges was controlled by Babak Zanjani and advertised publicly on his social media since at least 2024. The platform was built by Pishtaz Simorgh Electronic Trade Company, a subsidiary of Dot One Value Creation Group, within which Hossein Ali Zaker Hossein held an executive role. Between June and July 2026, OFAC alleges BitBank was used to transfer hundreds of millions of dollars worth of Bitcoin to the IRGC. Zaker Hossein's role, per the designation, included brokering the digital asset transactions that passed through this infrastructure. He was designated alongside two other Dot One-linked individuals: Mohammad Mahdi Zaker Hossein (Dot One manager and CEO of Pishtaz Simorgh) and Seyed Adel Heidari (vice chairman of Dot One's board). The exact nature of the familial or organizational relationship between Hossein Ali Zaker Hossein and Mohammad Mahdi Zaker Hossein is not specified in publicly available designation materials. BitBank also functioned as a conduit for Hormuz Strait toll payments: since June 2026, the previously OFAC-designated Hormuz Safe Marine Services Authority allegedly used BitBank to route Bitcoin payments collected from shipping vessels transiting the strait onward to the Iranian regime.","heading":"Connection to BitBank and Pishtaz Simorgh","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"Treasury Sanctions Crypto Exchange Behind Iran's Bitcoin Tolls on Hormuz Ships — Decrypt","type":"news_article","url":"https://decrypt.co/378604/treasury-sanctions-crypto-exchange-behind-irans-bitcoin-tolls-on-hormuz-ships"},{"credibility":2,"name":"OFAC Sanctions BitBank — TRM Labs Analysis","type":"research","url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/ofac-sanctions-bitbank-expanding-action-against-babak-zanjanis-digital-asset-network"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Iran's Strait of Hormuz toll booth ran through a Bitcoin exchange, U.S. says — CoinDesk","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2026/09/18/iran-s-strait-of-hormuz-toll-booth-ran-through-a-bitcoin-exchange-u-s-says"},{"credibility":2,"name":"US Sanctions Iranian Crypto Exchange BitBank — CryptoSlate","type":"news_article","url":"https://cryptoslate.com/us-sanctions-iranian-crypto-exchange-and-its-software-developer-over-alleged-irgc-bitcoin-transfers/"}]},{"content":"Babak Morteza Zanjani is a previously convicted Iranian financier born March 12, 1974. He was sentenced to death in Iran in 2016 for embezzling funds from the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) in connection with illicit oil revenue schemes during the earlier U.S. and EU sanctions era. His death sentence was commuted in 2024, after which he publicly re-emerged as a backer of regime-linked economic projects. By 2024 he had been appointed CEO of Dot One Value Creation Group, a Tehran-based conglomerate headquartered in the 'Dot One tower,' with stated involvement in logistics, telecommunications, aviation, transportation, and digital assets. OFAC designated Zanjani on January 30, 2026, and again on July 24, 2026, targeting his Dot One infrastructure and a network of Istanbul and Dubai-based fintech and exchange entities. The July 2026 action designated nine entities including Dot One Value Creation Group itself, Zanjani's sister Bahareh Morteza Zanjani, and several foreign associates. The September 17, 2026 action targeting BitBank and Hossein Ali Zaker Hossein represented a further expansion of that enforcement campaign to operational personnel and the platform's developer.","heading":"The Dot One Conglomerate and Babak Zanjani Background","severity":"high","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"Treasury Further Dismantles Iranian Financier Zanjani's Network — U.S. Treasury (July 24, 2026)","type":"regulatory","url":"https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0576"},{"credibility":1,"name":"Treasury Further Dismantles Zanjani's Network — GlobalSecurity.org mirror","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/iran/2026/07/iran-260724-treasury01.htm"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Istanbul, Dubai fintechs feel heat as US sanctions fire turned on Iranian billionaire Babak Zanjani — bne IntelliNews","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.intellinews.com/istanbul-dubai-fintechs-feel-heat-as-us-sanctions-fire-turned-on-iranian-billionaire-babak-zanjani-457462/"},{"credibility":3,"name":"Babak Zanjani — Wikipedia","type":"other","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babak_Zanjani"}]},{"content":"Operation Economic Outcast was announced by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on August 24, 2026, described as a 'whole-of-government economic campaign against the Islamic Republic of Iran.' The operation targeted five Iranian economic sectors via new sectoral sanctions determinations: digital assets, technology, gold, aviation, and shipping. The digital asset sectoral determination under Executive Order 13902 gave OFAC expanded authority to designate anyone determined to operate in Iran's digital asset sector, without requiring proof of a direct connection to a previously named Iranian designee — significantly broadening compliance risk for global crypto businesses. The September 17 BitBank action was among approximately 60 entity and individual designations issued in connection with the operation across multiple sectors and jurisdictions. The action involved coordination with the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Gulf partners. No criminal indictments associated with Hossein Ali Zaker Hossein were publicly identified as of the date of this investigation; the enforcement mechanism is civil regulatory (OFAC SDN listing).","heading":"Operation Economic Outcast: Broader Context","severity":"high","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"Treasury Launches Unprecedented Campaign Against Iranian Regime — U.S. Treasury Press Release (August 24, 2026)","type":"regulatory","url":"https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0613"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Operation Economic Outcast Disrupts Digital Asset Exchange Enabling Iranian Regime — Eurasia Review","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.eurasiareview.com/18092026-operation-economic-outcast-disrupts-digital-asset-exchange-enabling-iranian-regime/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"OFAC Expands Iran Sanctions to Crypto Sector Under New Campaign — Blockchain.News","type":"news_article","url":"https://blockchain.news/news/ofac-iran-crypto-sanctions-2026"}]},{"content":"Any transaction involving Hossein Ali Zaker Hossein's assets, or conducted for his direct or indirect benefit, is blocked under U.S. law. His SDN status carries secondary sanctions exposure: non-U.S. persons, including foreign banks, exchanges, and digital asset platforms, may themselves be designated if they engage in significant transactions with him. The Dot One ecosystem he is alleged to have operated within included consumer-facing crypto applications (MyDot), an EVM-compatible chain (Dot One Smart Chain using DOTO as its native token), wrapped asset bridges, and peer-to-peer marketplace infrastructure. Exchanges and compliance teams should screen all variants of his name as well as associated entity names: Dot One Value Creation Group, Pishtaz Simorgh Electronic Trade Company, BitBank, Zedcex, and Zedxion. His known address on Kish Island — a free-trade zone historically used for sanctions circumvention — adds an additional risk flag for KYC/AML review contexts.","heading":"Compliance and Counterparty Risk","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"OFAC Recent Actions — September 17, 2026 Iran-related Designations","type":"regulatory","url":"https://ofac.treasury.gov/recent-actions/20260917"},{"credibility":2,"name":"OFAC Sanctions BitBank — TRM Labs Analysis","type":"research","url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/ofac-sanctions-bitbank-expanding-action-against-babak-zanjanis-digital-asset-network"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Treasury Sanctions Iranian Crypto Exchange BitBank Over IRGC Ties — Hoodline","type":"news_article","url":"https://hoodline.com/2026/09/treasury-sanctions-iran-s-bitbank-crypto-exchange-tied-to-zanjani-irgc-cash/"}]}],"sources_used":[{"credibility":1,"name":"OFAC Recent Actions — September 17, 2026 Iran-related Designations","type":"regulatory","url":"https://ofac.treasury.gov/recent-actions/20260917"},{"credibility":1,"name":"Operation Economic Outcast Disrupts Digital Asset Exchange Enabling the Iranian Regime — U.S. Treasury Press Release","type":"regulatory","url":"https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0632"},{"credibility":1,"name":"Treasury Launches Unprecedented Campaign Against Iranian Regime — U.S. Treasury (August 24, 2026)","type":"regulatory","url":"https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0613"},{"credibility":1,"name":"Treasury Further Dismantles Iranian Financier Zanjani's Network — U.S. Treasury (July 24, 2026)","type":"regulatory","url":"https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0576"},{"credibility":1,"name":"Operation Economic Outcast — GlobalSecurity.org (Treasury text mirror)","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/iran/2026/09/iran-260917-treasury01.htm"},{"credibility":1,"name":"Treasury Further Dismantles Zanjani's Network — GlobalSecurity.org mirror (July 2026)","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/iran/2026/07/iran-260724-treasury01.htm"},{"credibility":2,"name":"OFAC Sanctions BitBank, Expanding Action Against Babak Zanjani's Digital Asset Network — TRM Labs","type":"research","url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/ofac-sanctions-bitbank-expanding-action-against-babak-zanjanis-digital-asset-network"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Treasury Sanctions Crypto Exchange Behind Iran's Bitcoin Tolls on Hormuz Ships — Decrypt","type":"news_article","url":"https://decrypt.co/378604/treasury-sanctions-crypto-exchange-behind-irans-bitcoin-tolls-on-hormuz-ships"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Iran's Strait of Hormuz toll booth ran through a Bitcoin exchange, U.S. says — CoinDesk","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2026/09/18/iran-s-strait-of-hormuz-toll-booth-ran-through-a-bitcoin-exchange-u-s-says"},{"credibility":2,"name":"US Sanctions Iranian Crypto Exchange and Its Software Developer Over Alleged IRGC Bitcoin Transfers — CryptoSlate","type":"news_article","url":"https://cryptoslate.com/us-sanctions-iranian-crypto-exchange-and-its-software-developer-over-alleged-irgc-bitcoin-transfers/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"US Sanctions Iranian Exchange BitBank Over Bitcoin Transfers to the IRGC and Hormuz Passage Fees — Unchained Crypto","type":"news_article","url":"https://unchainedcrypto.com/us-sanctions-iranian-exchange-bitbank-over-bitcoin-transfers-to-the-irgc-and-hormuz-passage-fees/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Treasury Sanctions Iranian Crypto Exchange BitBank Over IRGC Ties — Hoodline","type":"news_article","url":"https://hoodline.com/2026/09/treasury-sanctions-iran-s-bitbank-crypto-exchange-tied-to-zanjani-irgc-cash/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Istanbul, Dubai fintechs feel heat as US sanctions fire turned on Iranian billionaire Babak Zanjani — bne IntelliNews","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.intellinews.com/istanbul-dubai-fintechs-feel-heat-as-us-sanctions-fire-turned-on-iranian-billionaire-babak-zanjani-457462/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Treasury Sanctions Iranian Crypto Exchange Linked To Hormuz Ship Tolls — Northeast Times","type":"news_article","url":"https://northeasttimes.com/2026/09/18/treasury-sanctions-iranian-crypto-exchange-linked-to-hormuz-ship-tolls/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Operation Economic Outcast Disrupts Digital Asset Exchange Enabling Iranian Regime — Eurasia Review","type":"news_article","url":"https://www.eurasiareview.com/18092026-operation-economic-outcast-disrupts-digital-asset-exchange-enabling-iranian-regime/"}],"summary":"Hossein Ali Zaker Hossein is an Iranian national designated by the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on September 17, 2026, as a Specially Designated National (SDN) under Executive Order 13902 as part of Operation Economic Outcast. OFAC's designation alleges he served as a senior executive within Babak Zanjani's Dot One conglomerate, acting as a key facilitator of Iranian sanctions evasion activity including oil exports and digital asset transfers that OFAC alleges ultimately benefited the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). He is subject to secondary sanctions, meaning any foreign individual or entity that engages in transactions with him may itself be designated.","timeline":[{"date":"2016-01-01","event":"Babak Zanjani sentenced to death in Iran for embezzling from the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC). Zaker Hossein's association with Zanjani predates this period per OFAC allegations, though the precise start of their working relationship is not publicly documented.","source":"Wikipedia / OFAC background","source_url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babak_Zanjani"},{"date":"2024-01-01","event":"Babak Zanjani's death sentence commuted by Iranian courts. Zanjani re-emerges publicly as backer of regime-linked economic projects including Dot One. He is appointed CEO of Dot One Value Creation Group, the parent entity of the network within which Hossein Ali Zaker Hossein allegedly operated as executive.","source":"U.S. Treasury Press Release sb0632","source_url":"https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0632"},{"date":"2024-01-01","event":"BitBank launches as an Iranian digital asset exchange. Zanjani begins advertising it on his social media accounts. Pishtaz Simorgh Electronic Trade Company, a Dot One subsidiary, builds the platform.","source":"U.S. Treasury Press Release sb0632 / CoinDesk","source_url":"https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2026/09/18/iran-s-strait-of-hormuz-toll-booth-ran-through-a-bitcoin-exchange-u-s-says"},{"date":"2026-01-30","event":"OFAC designates Babak Zanjani and his two largest digital asset projects, Zedcex and Zedxion, under Executive Order 13902.","source":"U.S. Treasury Press Release sb0576","source_url":"https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0576"},{"date":"2026-06-01","event":"BitBank begins processing Bitcoin payments from the Hormuz Safe Marine Services Authority, the entity collecting ship-transit tolls from vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz. OFAC later alleges these funds were routed to the Iranian regime and IRGC.","source":"U.S. Treasury Press Release sb0632 / Decrypt","source_url":"https://decrypt.co/378604/treasury-sanctions-crypto-exchange-behind-irans-bitcoin-tolls-on-hormuz-ships"},{"date":"2026-07-01","event":"Between June and July 2026, OFAC alleges BitBank facilitated the transfer of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of Bitcoin to the IRGC. OFAC alleges Hossein Ali Zaker Hossein brokered digital asset transactions during this period.","source":"U.S. Treasury Press Release sb0632","source_url":"https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0632"},{"date":"2026-07-24","event":"OFAC designates Dot One Value Creation Group and eight additional Dot One subsidiaries and associates in a second wave of Zanjani network sanctions. Hormuz Safe Marine Services Authority is also designated at this time.","source":"U.S. Treasury Press Release sb0576","source_url":"https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0576"},{"date":"2026-08-24","event":"Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announces Operation Economic Outcast, described as a 'whole-of-government economic campaign against the Islamic Republic of Iran,' targeting five sectors including digital assets.","source":"U.S. Treasury Press Release sb0613","source_url":"https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0613"},{"date":"2026-09-17","event":"OFAC designates Hossein Ali Zaker Hossein as an SDN under the Iran-EO13902 sanctions program, alongside BitBank, Pishtaz Simorgh Electronic Trade Company, Mohammad Mahdi Zaker Hossein, and Seyed Adel Heidari. He is listed as a Dot One executive and alleged senior facilitator of Zanjani's sanctions evasion network including oil exports and IRGC-bound digital asset transfers.","source":"OFAC Recent Actions — September 17, 2026","source_url":"https://ofac.treasury.gov/recent-actions/20260917"}]},"v":1}

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