The measures are focused on an international oil shipping network connected to a high-ranking Tehran official.
The United States has implemented extensive new sanctions targeting Iran’s international shipping network, alleging that it has been illegally channeling billions of dollars in oil revenue to Tehran.
Announced on Wednesday, the sanctions target over 100 individuals, businesses, and vessels that the US Treasury Department identifies as part of a “vast shipping empire” managed by Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, son of Ali Shamkhani, a senior advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali.
The Treasury Department alleges that Shamkhani exploited his father’s influence to develop a fleet of tankers and container ships that moved billions of dollars worth of oil and petroleum products from Iran and Russia to global buyers, including China, supposedly through illegal means and a network of “front” companies. The network is accused of “evading sanctions, laundering money, and obfuscating paper trails.” The sanctions affect 12 individuals—including citizens of France, the UK, and Italy—as well as 52 vessels and 15 shipping companies, including one based in Switzerland.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated, “The Shamkhani family’s shipping empire illustrates how Iranian regime elites exploit their positions to amass significant wealth and finance the regime’s dangerous activities.” He added, “These actions prioritize America by targeting regime elites who profit while Tehran threatens US safety.”
The sanctions, described as the most “massive” Iran-related package since 2018, are part of President Donald Trump’s revived “maximum pressure” strategy aimed at halting Iran’s uranium enrichment program. They also follow recent US-Israeli actions targeting Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.
Tehran has condemned the sanctions as illegal. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei stated on Thursday that they clearly demonstrate “the hostility of American policymakers towards the Iranian people,” asserting that their true objective is to undermine Iran’s development.
The West has long suspected that Iran’s uranium enrichment activities are a covert attempt to develop nuclear weapons.
Iran has consistently denied these allegations, maintaining that its nuclear activities are solely for peaceful purposes. It has also warned that it will not yield to Washington’s demands under pressure, denouncing the sanctions as acts of threat and intimidation.