US Imposes Historic Sanctions on Iran’s Oil Shipping Network
The United States has escalated its economic pressure on Iran with the imposition of sweeping new sanctions targeting the country’s international oil shipping network. These measures accuse the network of illegally channeling tens of billions of dollars in oil revenue to Tehran, which is used to fund the regime’s operations and activities.
The sanctions, described by the US Treasury as targeting a ‘vast shipping empire,’ focus on over 100 individuals, companies, and vessels connected to Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, the son of Ali Shamkhani, a senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Treasury accused Shamkhani of using his father’s influence to build a fleet of tankers and container ships moving oil and petroleum products from Iran and Russia to buyers worldwide, including China, allegedly through layers of ‘front’ companies. The network is alleged to be involved in evading sanctions, laundering money, and obfuscating paper trails by using complex layers of shell companies.
The sanctioned entities include 12 individuals, among them a French, a UK, and an Italian national, as well as 52 vessels and 15 shipping companies, including one based in Switzerland. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent highlighted the significance of these actions, stating that the Shamkhani family’s shipping empire exemplifies how Iranian regime elites leverage their positions to accrue massive wealth and fund the regime’s dangerous behavior, thereby putting America first by targeting those who profit while Tehran threatens the safety of the US.
The sanctions, which are referred to as the most ‘massive’ Iran-related package since 2018, are part of President Donald Trump’s renewed ‘maximum pressure’ strategy aimed at ending Iran’s uranium enrichment program. They follow recent US-Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. Tehran has denounced these measures as unlawful, with the Foreign Ministry’s spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, calling them a clear sign of ‘the hostility of American policymakers towards the Iranian people,’ asserting that the real aim is to cripple Iran’s development.
Iran has consistently denied the allegations, insisting that its nuclear activities are solely for peaceful purposes and warning that it would not bow to Washington’s demands under pressure, denouncing the sanctions as acts of threat and intimidation. The situation underscores the deepening tensions between the US and Iran, with significant implications for the global energy market and the stability of the geopolitical landscape in the Middle East.