The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) reported that Hossein and Abolfazl Shamkhani, sons of Ali Shamkhani—a senior Iranian regime official—used aliases and Dominican passports to purchase a portfolio of high-value properties worth $29 million in Dubai, and that their activities have also extended to Europe.
Hossein Shamkhani was placed under sanctions by the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union in July 2025 for generating billions of dollars in oil revenue for Iran’s regime and Russia.
US Takes Action to Confiscate $15 Million Linked to Shamkhani Network
The U.S. Department of the Treasury identified him as “Hugo Hayek,” a citizen of Dominica.
The OCCRP announced on Thursday, March 19, that Abolfazl Shamkhani also holds a Dominican passport under the alias “Sami Hayek.” However, he has not been sanctioned so far.
According to previous reports, Hossein Shamkhani and his associates used Dominica’s citizenship-by-investment program and, by obtaining passports from that country, attempted to gain access to the international banking system.
Four luxury villas in Dubai worth $29 million
Property records from the United Arab Emirates obtained by the OCCRP show that the Shamkhani brothers own at least four luxury villas in Dubai, valued at approximately $29 million at the time of purchase.
These assets have been registered under their Dominican identities.
According to the report, the Shamkhani brothers initially purchased the Dubai luxury properties under their Iranian names; “Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani” and “Abolfazl Ali Shamkhani” were registered as buyers of two villas in the exclusive “Golf Place” development in July 2019.
According to reports, the ownership documents for these villas are now registered under the names listed in their Dominican passports, “Hugo Hayek” and “Sami Hayek.” Although the exact timing of this change is unclear, the brothers’ subsequent purchases were also made directly under these aliases.
Shamkhani and Ali Khamenei were killed during the February 28 attacks by the United States and Israel.
Purchase of luxury properties on Jumeirah Island
According to UAE property data, Hossein purchased a villa in July 2022 on “Jumeirah Bay Island,” a seahorse-shaped luxury area off the coast of Dubai, using his Dominican passport. Abolfazl also acquired a luxury residence in the same area in October of that year under the name “Sami Hayek.”
These properties are still held under those same names.
It is unclear whether the two brothers still hold Dominican passports, although reports indicate that authorities in that country revoked Hossein Shamkhani’s passport following U.S. sanctions.
Dominica is a small country in the Caribbean Sea, known for its pristine nature, rainforests, and volcanic landscapes.
In addition to its natural attractions, the country has drawn international media attention for its citizenship-by-investment program, known as the “golden passport.”
Traces of the Shamkhani brothers in Europe
The Shamkhani brothers’ use of the “Hayek” aliases has not been limited to personal real estate assets and has taken on broader dimensions.
Abolfazl’s alias, “Sami Hayek,” also appears in European corporate records. According to company registration documents in Cyprus from November 2024, he was registered as a limited partner in the Saleya Fund, an investment fund in Cyprus, using his Dominican passport and his residence address at the “Golf Place” villa in Dubai.
The brothers’ Dominican identities also appear in the records of another company—a firm in Turkey that the U.S. Treasury has sanctioned for involvement in the illegal transfer of oil for Russia and Iran’s regime.
According to records, Hugo and Sami Hayek were founding shareholders of Green Energy Chemical Industries, a company registered in Turkey in 2021. They transferred their shares to Dubai-based Milavous in November 2023.
Earlier, in September 2024, Bloomberg revealed that Dubai-based Milavous, where Hossein Shamkhani is a senior executive, has profited billions of dollars from the sale of goods originating from Iran, Russia, and several other countries.
