U.S. Treasury Launches Sanctions Campaign Against Iran, Targeting Regime Insider's Son
The Biden-era sanctions are out; Trump’s Treasury returns to form with a sweeping crackdown on Iran’s oil networks, hitting elites, vessels, and foreign firms across five countries.
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In a major escalation of economic pressure on Tehran, the U.S. Treasury Department announced its most expansive sanctions package against Iranian-linked entities since the original "maximum pressure" campaign began in 2018.
The sweeping measures target over 115 individuals, companies, and vessels tied to a global oil smuggling network allegedly run by Mohammed Hossein Shamkhani, son of Ali Shamkhani, one of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s most influential advisors.
According to the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the younger Shamkhani exploited his father’s political clout to amass vast wealth through illicit shipping of Iranian and Russian oil products, fueling what U.S. officials say are key revenue streams for Iran’s nuclear program and regional militant proxies.
"This action reflects our ongoing commitment to deny the Iranian regime the resources it uses to fund terrorism, repress its own people, and destabilize the Middle East," said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who emphasized that the move aligns with President Trump's "America First" national security policy.
The sanctions came in tandem with a separate announcement from the State Department, which blacklisted 20 more entities and designated 10 oil tankers as blocked property. This effectively prohibits U.S. persons from interacting with them and freezes any assets under American jurisdiction.
Officials said the ships were used in what they described as “deceptive maritime activity,” masking the origin and destination of sanctioned oil shipments through a network of front companies and false documentation.
The crackdown also extended to foreign firms and facilitators. Companies based in China, India, the UAE, Türkiye, and Indonesia were cited for their roles in purchasing or transporting Iranian crude oil and petrochemical products in defiance of existing U.S. sanctions.
“Entities that choose to do business with Iran’s sanctioned networks are putting themselves at risk,” a senior State Department official said. “The message is simple: trade with Iran, and you risk being cut off from the U.S. financial system.”
“We will not tolerate circumvention,” Bessent posted on X (formerly Twitter). “The regime’s elites profit while they threaten American interests. That ends now.”