The United States has intensified its economic offensive against Iran by sanctioning more than fifty individuals, enterprises, and maritime vessels accused of participating in an unlawful oil transportation and sanctions‑circumvention program.

The measures were announced by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control and represent one of the most sweeping actions taken in recent months.

The sanctions are directed at maritime trade operations controlled by Iranian energy tycoon Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani. Washington has identified him as a central figure in orchestrating networks that enable Tehran to bypass restrictions and sustain its oil exports despite international prohibitions.

The enforcement action blacklists six individuals, including Asghar Aghili Dehkordi and Behzad Moghadas. Alongside them, twenty‑four corporate entities and twenty maritime vessels have been penalised. These targets are accused of facilitating the circumvention of trade restrictions through a complex web of monetary brokers, logistics operators, maritime managers, and foreign shell corporations.

The Treasury Department confirmed that any assets or legal interests linked to the sanctioned parties that fall under American jurisdiction are to be blocked immediately. This move is intended to sever financial channels that Washington claims are vital to sustaining the Iranian regime.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent emphasised that the operation is designed to disrupt a critical monetary lifeline. He stated that the Iranian regime “survives on deception” and described the Shamkhani network as one of its most profitable engines. According to Bessent, the restrictions are meant to disable the monetary systems that underpin threats to American national security and international maritime transit.

The rollout of these penalties coincides with escalating instability in the Strait of Hormuz. Fresh assaults on merchant vessels have been reported, with American officials attributing responsibility to Tehran. The Strait remains a strategic chokepoint for global energy supplies, and Washington has repeatedly warned that Iranian aggression there poses a direct threat to international commerce.

The State Department explained that the penalised network relied on Iranian citizens, foreign nationals, proxy corporations, and overseas setups to market restricted oil and funnel the financial proceeds back to Tehran. Officials argue that this system has allowed Iran to bypass trade bans and finance offensive operations against merchant vessels navigating the Strait.

State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott stated that the sanctions are engineered to dismantle Shamkhani’s “illicit shipping and sanctions evasion network.” Washington claims that by breaking apart these structures, it can weaken Iran’s ability to generate revenue for destabilising activities and maritime aggression.

The latest measures form part of a broader American program of economic pressure, which has increasingly targeted Iran’s shadow fleet, financial facilitators, and energy lifelines. By expanding the scope to over fifty targets, Washington signals its determination to escalate the campaign and isolate Tehran from global trade and finance.

ANI