The move, implementing part of President Donald Trump’s “Imposing Maximum Pressure on ... Iran” executive order issued earlier this month, aims to disrupt Iran’s ability to fund terrorist organizations and destabilizing activities across the Middle East.
“Iran continues to rely on a shadowy network of vessels, shippers, and brokers to facilitate its oil sales and fund its destabilizing activities,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. “The United States will use all our available tools to target all aspects of Iran’s oil supply chain, and anyone who deals in Iranian oil exposes themselves to significant sanctions risk.”
The State Department designated 16 entities and vessels as a “network of illicit shipping facilitators” that “obfuscates and deceives its role in loading and transporting Iranian oil for sale to buyers in Asia,” while the Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned 22 individuals and identified 13 vessels as blocked property. The targeted network spans multiple jurisdictions, including the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, India, and China.
Among those sanctioned is Hamid Bovard, Iran’s deputy minister of petroleum and head of the National Iranian Oil Company, a key player in underwriting the activities of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force, according to the announcements.
The Iranian Oil Terminals Company, responsible for overseeing Iran’s oil exports, was also sanctioned, along with several of its executives and affiliated shipping companies.
The sanctions extend to UAE-based Petroquimico FZE and Hong Kong-based Petronix Energy Trading Ltd., both of which have facilitated multimillion-dollar transactions for Iranian crude oil. Several vessels, including the Panama-flagged Meng Xin and the Cook Islands-flagged Phoenix I, were identified as blocked property because of their role in transporting Iranian oil.
The latest sanctions are the second round imposed since Trump issued National Security Presidential Memorandum 2 on Feb. 4, ordering a “maximum pressure” campaign to reduce Iran’s oil exports to zero.
Under this directive, the U.S. government has intensified efforts to prevent Iran from using oil revenues to support terrorist activities, including funding Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis.
“As long as Iran devotes its energy revenues to financing attacks on our allies, supporting terrorism around the world, or pursuing other destabilizing actions, we will use all the tools at our disposal to hold the regime accountable,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement.
The sanctions place significant pressure on international organizations involved in oil shipping and trading. U.S. officials warned that foreign financial institutions and shipping companies engaging in transactions with designated entities could face secondary sanctions.
Additionally, Iran’s so-called shadow fleet—tankers that use deceptive shipping practices to evade sanctions—remains a key target.
Vessels such as the Uurgane I, Lydia II, and Ayden were found to be conducting ship-to-ship transfers of Iranian crude oil, further obscuring its origin.
Companies managing these vessels, including China-based Nycity Shipmanagement Co Ltd. and India-based Flux Maritime LLP, were also designated pursuant to Executive Order 13902.
With these new measures, the United States said it is reinforcing its stance that it will not ease pressure on Tehran until it ceases its support for terrorism, halts its nuclear ambitions, and ends its regional aggression.
