The Trump administration imposed new sanctions targeting Iran’s oil trade on Thursday as part of its maximum pressure campaign, the US Treasury Department announced.
The U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on an Iraqi business network, led by Salim Ahmed Said, accused of concealing Iranian crude as "Iraqi oil" using ship-to-ship transfers since at least 2020.
Several tankers linked to Iran’s covert shipping operations—flagged in Panama, Comoros and others—were sanctioned to disrupt what the U.S. calls Iran’s “shadow fleet”
The Treasury placed sanctions on senior officials and at least one entity associated with Al‑Qard Al‑Hassan, a Hezbollah‑controlled financial institution, for handling millions in transactions that benefit the group.
This marks the eighth round of sanctions targeting Iran’s oil sector under Executive Orders 13902 and 13224, part of a broader “maximum pressure” campaign.
Analysts view this as a strategic effort to pressure Iran economically without direct military action, though critics warn it may also ripple into civilian sectors.
These sanctions come immediately after a ceasefire in the recent 12-day Middle East conflict, marking the first sanctions on Iran’s energy sector since that truce
Earlier in June, the U.S. had already sanctioned Iran’s "shadow banking" networks—covering over 30 entities tied to laundering oil revenue.
In February, further sanctions were applied to Iranian oil fronts like Sepehr Energy to further constrain Iran's petroleum-related finances