7/31/2025–|Last update: 02:34 (Mecca time)
Washington announced the imposition of what it described as the largest package of sanctions related to Tehran since 2018 targeting more than 50 people and entities, along with more than 50 ships, within a global shipping network belonging to Muhammad Hussein Shamkhani, the son of Ali Shamkhani, the adviser to Iranian guide Ali Khamenei.
The US Treasury said in a statement, on Wednesday, that the Shamkhani network, “runs a huge fleet of oil tankers and container ships, and the transportation of Iranian and Russian oil to global markets, achieving billions of dollars in profits that are used to finance the activities of the Iranian regime,” as she put it.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, according to the statement, that the sanctions affect what he described as the Shamkhani Family Shipping Empire, and confirmed that more than 115 punitive measures were issued in this context.
The ministry explained that Shamkhani, “who uses pseudonyms, supervises a complex network of fake companies and shipping companies, with the aim of camouflaging the illegal activities related to oil and petrochemicals.”
According to the statement, “Investigations revealed that the network also used container ships to send shipments of petrochemicals to China, with falsifying shipping documents and stopping ship tracking systems (AIS) while downloading in Iranian ports.”
The Ministry also accused some companies affiliated with Shamkhani of participating in charging missiles and components of drones from Iran to Russia, in exchange for shipments of Russian oil, which were later sold to foreign buyers.
Part pressure campaign
The United States pledged to continue what it describes as the “maximum pressure” campaign on Tehran, and indicated that these sanctions were approved according to the executive orders targeting those working in the Iranian oil and petrochemical sectors or providing material support for the entities associated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
For its part, the Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned in a statement, “Washington imposed sanctions on legal individuals, entities and ships linked to the energy and oil sectors to Iran.”
The US sanctions are in an indication that the administration of President Donald Trump is intensifying its efforts in the “maximum pressure” campaign after the bombing of major Iranian nuclear sites last June.
A US official said the new step will make Iran selling its oil “much more difficult”, but he stated that the administration does not expect any long -term turmoil in the global oil markets.
The latest announcement of the sanctions comes at a time when the possibility of resuming diplomacy between Washington and Tehran is still weak after the American bombing of Iranian nuclear sites last month.
On Monday, Trump warned that he would order new American attacks if Tehran tries to restart nuclear sites previously bombed by the United States.
He told reporters that Iran is sending “bad signals” and that any attempt to restore its nuclear program will be crushed immediately.
The United States held 5 rounds of talks with Iran before its air strikes in June, which Trump said had “destroyed” a program that Washington and its ally Israel says it aims to develop a nuclear bomb.
Some experts question the extent of the damage to the program. Iran denies its endeavor to possess a nuclear weapon.