Babak Zanjani — the sanctions-era oil intermediary
A billionaire middleman convicted of embezzlement in a case tied to sanctions-era oil revenue.
How to read this
Every claim below is labelled by evidentiary strength.
Documented = primary document or multiple credible outlets.
Official sanction = a government designation exists — a designation, not a court conviction.
Estimated = a credible estimate (estimator named).
Alleged / contested = reported but disputed or unproven.
Documented
Zanjani was arrested in late 2013, accused of withholding roughly $2.7 billion owed to Iran's Ministry of Petroleum, and sentenced to death on 6 March 2016 for embezzlement and "corruption on earth". The sentence was commuted to 20 years on 30 April 2024 after ~$2.1bn in assets was reportedly returned.
Sources:
Newsweek (2016) • Haaretz (2016) • Radio Farda (2018)
Documented
Note: Iran's judiciary is not independent, so "convicted" here denotes a documented state action — not proof of an impartial finding.
Sources:
Editorial note (per Artesh sourcing standard)
Editorial note. Artesh reports designations, estimates and allegations by their evidentiary strength and never presents a sanction as a conviction or an estimate as an audited figure. Corrections are made promptly; if you can add or correct a sourced fact, contact us.