Above photo: Getty Images.
Washington has sanctioned dozens of vessels in recent months.
Aiming to reduce Iran’s crude exports to zero.
Washington imposed sanctions on 24 February, targeting what it refers to as a “shadowy” fleet made up of companies, individuals, and vessels involved in transporting Iranian oil to circumvent unilateral US sanctions.
“Iran continues to rely on a shadowy network of vessels, shippers, and brokers to facilitate its oil sales and fund its destabilizing activities. The United States will use all our available tools to target all aspects of Iran’s oil supply chain, and anyone who deals in Iranian oil exposes themselves to significant sanctions risk,” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement on Monday.
Twenty-two individuals and 13 ships were hit by the fresh batch of US sanctions on Iran, which come as part of US President Donald Trump’s renewed policy of “maximum pressure” against the Islamic Republic.
According to the US Treasury Department, this network transports millions of barrels of Iranian crude oil worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
In December last year, the US imposed sanctions on the fleet, which it claimed was being used to accumulate revenue for the Iranian nuclear, drone, and missile programs.
The US has sanctioned 53 vessels since October 2024 to stifle Iran’s oil exports.
Iran has used the so-called “shadow fleet” as a “secret weapon” to “stabilize the paths of oil transfer” with the help of allies, including Russia, “increasing diplomatic power” by “resisting” economic pressure and “neutralizing part of the effects” of the sanctions, according to a Nour News analysis.
Since entering office last month, Trump has renewed his “maximum pressure” policy of sanctions against Iran, which began during his first term.
As part of these efforts, Trump’s government has reportedly been pressuring Iraq to allow Kurdish oil exports to Turkiye to resume, threatening sanctions if it does not, according to sources cited by Reuters on 21 February.
This comes as part of a bid to “isolate Iran from the global economy and eliminate its oil export revenues.”
Washington wants oil exports from Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region to resume to offset a potential fall in Iranian oil exports.
The Iraqi Ministry of Oil announced on 22 February that all necessary measures to resume oil exports from the Kurdistan Region to Turkiye have been completed. The sources say the US pressure was a “key driver” of the announcement.