WANA (Oct 10) – The U.S. Department of the Treasury, continuing the “maximum pressure” campaign initiated under Donald Trump’s administration against the Islamic Republic of Iran, announced sanctions on more than 50 individuals, entities, and vessels accused of facilitating the sale of Iranian oil and liquefied gas.

 

In a statement released on Thursday local time, the Treasury Department said, “The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has targeted key elements of Iran’s energy export network.” According to the statement, this network has enabled the export of billions of dollars’ worth of oil and petroleum products for Iran, providing “critical revenue for the Iranian government and its affiliated groups.”

 

The statement added that more than 20 vessels, a crude oil terminal in China, and an independent refinery known as a “teapot” have been included in the new sanctions list. The Treasury emphasized that this action was taken under Executive Orders 13902 and 13846 and is part of a broader effort to “reduce Iran’s financial capacity.”

 

Scott Bessent, the Treasury Secretary under the Trump administration, reiterated Washington’s anti-Iran rhetoric, saying: “By dismantling key elements of Iran’s energy export apparatus, we are cutting off the regime’s financial lifeline and disrupting its ability to support terrorist groups.”

 

Simultaneously, the U.S. State Department also announced sanctions on eight individuals and entities accused of ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the Quds Force, and the Iraqi groups Kata’ib Hezbollah and Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq. Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott claimed that these measures were aimed at countering “Iran’s destabilizing activities in Iraq.”

 

In the same vein, the U.S. Department of Commerce recently added 29 companies and institutions based in China, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates to its trade blacklist. According to Washington, some of these companies were involved in supplying electronic components for drones used by resistance groups in Yemen and Palestine.

 

The new sanctions come as the U.S. President signed a memorandum last February extending the “maximum pressure” policy against Iran. This development follows five rounds of indirect talks between the two countries, which have since stalled amid regional tensions and recent Israeli attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities.

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