April 15 - The U.S. Treasury Department said on Wednesday it has moved to sanction Iran's oil transportation infrastructure by designating more than two dozen individuals, companies and vessels, according to a department statement.
The package of measures focuses on the network of Iranian oil shipping magnate Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, the Treasury said. The statement identifies Shamkhani as a central figure within the targeted shipping operation.
The department also linked the sanctions to the Shamkhani family more broadly. The statement noted that Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani is the son of Ali Shamkhani, described in the statement as a key figure in Iran's security and nuclear policymaking who was killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes on Tehran on February 28.
"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 in the statement.
In addition to the individuals and vessels tied to the Shamkhani shipping network, the Treasury said it was sanctioning Iranian national Seyed Naiemaei Badroddin Moosavi, whom the department alleges is a financier to Hezbollah. The sanctions package further targets three companies that the Treasury links to a money laundering scheme involving the sale of Iranian oil in exchange for Venezuelan gold.
The department's announcement framed the designations as a direct effort against the infrastructure that supports the movement and sale of Iranian oil and the financial arrangements that sustain it. The sanctions list includes entities across people, corporate structures and vessels, reflecting a coordinated action aimed at disrupting the identified network.
While the statement lays out the named individuals and companies and their alleged roles, it does not provide additional operational detail beyond the designations and the assertions about financing and money laundering in connection with Venezuelan gold.
Key takeaways
- The U.S. Treasury designated more than two dozen individuals, companies and vessels connected to Iran's oil transportation infrastructure.
- The action targets the network of Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani and names Seyed Naiemaei Badroddin Moosavi as an alleged Hezbollah financier.
- Three companies were sanctioned for alleged involvement in a money laundering scheme trading Iranian oil for Venezuelan gold.