The administration of US President Donald Trump has expanded sanctions against the network of Iranian oil businessman Hossein Shamkhani, increasing economic pressure on Tehran amid negotiations and tensions around the Strait of Hormuz. This was reported by Bloomberg, writes UNN.
Details
The US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control has imposed sanctions on more than a dozen companies, individuals, and vessels associated with Shamkhani's business network. These are structures that, according to Washington, continued to transport oil despite restrictions.
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The sanctions also affected Iranian Seyed Nayemaei Badroddin Mousavi and three related companies suspected of money laundering schemes through oil-for-gold exchanges with Venezuela.
Context and pressure on Iran
This is not the first package of restrictions against this network – sanctions against Shamkhani were partially imposed earlier, and the US Department of Justice filed lawsuits for asset forfeiture. According to American authorities, his structures play a key role in "shadow" oil supplies.
Washington's move comes amid the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant portion of global energy supplies pass, and ongoing diplomatic contacts between the US and Iran.
US position
The Treasury Department is aggressively acting with economic fury, targeting regime elites like the Shamkhani family who seek to profit at the expense of the Iranian people.
He added that the US is ready to use all available tools, including secondary sanctions, against those who support Iran's economic operations.
The US Treasury also announced its intention to further strengthen sanctions pressure in the near future. In particular, Washington plans to terminate temporary permits for the purchase of Iranian oil, which previously partially restrained the growth of world prices.
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