WANA (Jul 15) – In a major escalation of its “maximum pressure” campaign, the United States has sanctioned more than 50 individuals, entities, and vessels accused of facilitating Iranian sanctions-evasion networks.

 

The move by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) specifically targets the shipping network of Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, blacklisting six individuals—including Asghar Aghili Dehkordi and Behzad Moghadas—alongside 24 entities and 20 vessels.

 

Treasury officials stated the measures aim to increase economic pressure following recent hostilities in the Strait of Hormuz.

 

The penalties coincide with a severe military escalation. Following alleged shipping attacks south of the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. abandoned the Islamabad MoU on July 7, 2026, launching airstrikes and reinstating a naval blockade of Iranian ports as of July 14.

 

At the NATO Summit in Ankara, U.S. President Donald Trump declared the ceasefire over, stating, “There is no longer an agreement with Iran.”

 

Subsequent Iranian retaliatory strikes on U.S. bases have once again positioned the Strait of Hormuz at the center of a volatile conflict.