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World
The United States imposed new sanctions on eight vessels involved in transporting Iranian crude and derivatives, targeting the Iranian military's oil trade network.
The United States announced early Friday the imposition of new sanctions targeting the Iranian military's oil trade, which included eight ships engaged in transporting Iranian crude oil and its derivatives to global markets.
The U.S. Treasury Department declared additional measures against Iranian military oil sales that enable the regime to finance the rebuilding of its armed forces, posing ongoing threats to the United States and its regional allies.
Among the sanctioned vessels are the oil tanker "Flora," registered under the Marshall Islands flag, the oil tanker "Hawkayo," flying the Comoros flag, and the oil tanker "El Jab," registered in Panama, according to Reuters.
The Treasury Department stated in a release that the sanctions directly target the main source of revenue for the Iranian regime through its blockade.
The Iranian military generates revenue by selling Iranian crude oil through a network of front companies, which assists in financing the reconstruction of its forces and threatening neighboring countries, the statement said.
The release quoted Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent as saying, "The Treasury Department will continue to pressure Iranian oil sales to deprive the Iranian regime and its military of the financial resources they need to threaten the United States' allies and partners in the Middle East."
Bessent added, "We will not allow the Iranian government to increase its oil revenues to rebuild its armed forces and military capabilities."
The Treasury Department confirmed that it has disrupted tens of billions of dollars in revenue that the Iranian regime and its proxies would have accessed, including measures that froze nearly half a billion dollars in cryptocurrencies linked to the regime.
Additionally, the Treasury launched a campaign against Tehran's global informal financing networks and banned networks supplying Iran with weapons and other military components, according to the statement.
The department took multiple actions against Iran's terrorist agents, targeting unofficial fleet vessels, companies, and other entities supporting Iran's illicit oil industry.
The Treasury emphasized that any individual or ship facilitating illicit oil trade or other goods through secret commercial or financial channels risks facing U.S. sanctions.
