The United States Department of the Treasury has rolled out a sweeping round of sanctions targeting over 100 individuals, companies, and maritime vessels connected to Iran.
Announced on Wednesday, the sanctions represent what the Treasury described as its most expansive Iran-related enforcement action since the Trump administration’s 2018 “maximum pressure” campaign.
Central to this sanctions package is a network of more than 50 oil tankers and cargo ships reportedly operated by Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani.
He is the son of Ali Shamkhani, a senior advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The U.S. alleges that this shipping network plays a critical role in transporting oil and petroleum products from both Iran and Russia to global buyers, yielding profits in the tens of billions of dollars.
In its statement, the Treasury characterized the move as a major strike against a powerful family-run network deeply embedded in Iran’s economic infrastructure.
“The Shamkhani family’s control of this shipping empire underscores how members of Iran’s elite exploit their positions for enormous financial gain while underwriting the regime’s destabilizing actions,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent noted.
The expansive sanctions target a total of 115 individuals, organizations, and vessels.
Specifically, the list includes 15 maritime companies, 52 ships, 12 individuals, and 53 entities spread across 17 countries, including Panama, Italy, and Hong Kong.
The effort is designed to curb Iran’s ability to evade existing sanctions and reduce its access to international markets.
According to a senior U.S. official speaking to Reuters, these sanctions are expected to significantly hamper Iran’s capacity to export oil.
However, the official also emphasized that the action is unlikely to cause any long-term disruption to the broader global oil supply.
Currently, China remains the largest international purchaser of Iranian crude.
The Treasury’s findings highlight how the Shamkhani family has not only remained influential in the oil export sector but has also built a global web of assets and citizenships.
The department disclosed that despite Ali Shamkhani being sanctioned back in 2020, the family continues to own luxurious properties across various countries.
It also clims that the family holds foreign passports, enabling discreet international travel for business purposes.
The elaborate network is reportedly masked by layers of front companies designed to appear legitimate and unrelated to the Shamkhanis.
This intricate structure, according to U.S. officials, enables the family to reap vast profits while flying under the radar of international regulators.
Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs swiftly condemned the sanctions, labeling them as yet another hostile maneuver by the United States.
A spokesperson described the measures as “a clear example of America’s hostility towards the Iranian nation,” as reported by Iran’s Student News Network.
In parallel developments, tensions between Tehran and Washington remain high.
Earlier this week, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi issued a stern warning in response to recent remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Trump had hinted at possible renewed military action should Iran resume its nuclear activities.
Taking to social media, Araghchi dismissed the possibility of Iran yielding to external pressure.
“Iran, with a civilization that dates back over 7,000 years, does not respond to threats and intimidation,” he stated.
“We have never bowed to foreign pressure and only respond to mutual respect.”
Araghchi also alluded to recent “American-Israeli aggression”.
He claimed that both Iran and its adversaries are aware of the full extent of the consequences, some of which, he asserted, are still being censored from public view.
He warned that any future act of hostility would provoke a swift and decisive Iranian response that could not be concealed or downplayed.
“No rational nation would dismantle its domestically developed and life-saving technologies just because it is told to do so by aggressive outsiders,” Araghchi concluded.
He alluded to Iran’s continued commitment to its nuclear energy program despite mounting international scrutiny.
