WASHINGTON: The United States has announced a fresh round of sanctions on Iran’s oil sector despite President Donald Trump’s push to restore normal shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, signalling that Washington is pursuing both maritime stability and tougher financial pressure on Tehran.
According to the US Treasury Department, the measures target more than two dozen individuals, companies and vessels linked to the network of Iranian oil shipping magnate Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, son of late senior Iranian security official Ali Shamkhani.
Today, as part of Economic Fury, Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned an oil smuggling network run by Iranian shipping magnate Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, the son of now-deceased senior Iranian security official Ali Shamkhani. OFAC today also sanctioned…
— Treasury Department (@USTreasury) April 15, 2026
Treasury said the action is aimed at Iran’s “illicit oil transportation infrastructure” and also targets a separate gold-linked financing scheme involving Hezbollah.
“Treasury is moving aggressively with Economic Fury by targeting regime elites like the Shamkhani family that attempt to profit at the expense of the Iranian people,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.
He added that under President Trump’s leadership, Treasury would continue to disrupt Iran’s smuggling routes.
The sanctions came as Washington continues to press for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy corridors.
The Treasury Department said the Shamkhani network used front companies in India and elsewhere to evade sanctions, procure vessels and transport Iranian and Russian petroleum products. It also named several vessels and firms allegedly tied to shadow fleet operations.
Treasury further announced sanctions on Seyed Naiemaei Badroddin Moosavi and associated companies, accusing them of facilitating oil-for-gold transactions.
