The U.S. Treasury has more sanctioned individuals and entities tied to a network facilitating Iranian oil sales to China.
| PULSE POINTS |
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The U.S. Treasury announced sanctions on a dozen individuals and entities for their involvement in facilitating Iranian oil sales to China in a May 11 press release. 💬 KEY QUOTE: “As Iran’s military desperately tries to regroup, Economic Fury will continue to deprive the regime of funding for its weapons programs, terrorist proxies, and nuclear ambitions. Treasury will continue to cut the Iranian regime off from the financial networks it uses to carry out terrorist acts and to destabilize the global economy.” – Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. 📰 DETAIL: Since February last year, the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned over 1,000 individuals, vessels, and other entities linked to Iran. The latest sanctions are part of Operation Economic Fury, a mirror campaign of Operation Epic Fury. On Monday, the U.S. Treasury designated another 12 individuals and entities. The most recent sanctions specifically relate to the shipment of Iranian oil by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to China. The newly sanctioned individuals include three senior officials based at the IRGC’s Shahid Purja’fari Oil Headquarters: headquarters chief Ahmad Mohammadi Zadeh, head of finance Samad Fathi Salami, and head of commerce Mohammadreza Ashrafi Ghehi. The sanctioned entities include front companies based in Hong Kong (Hong Kong Blue Ocean Ltd, Hong Kong Sanmu Ltd, Jiandi HK Ltd, Max Honor International Trade Co Ltd), Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (Atic Energy FZE), Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (Ocean Allianz Shipping LLC, Universal Fortune Trading LLC, Blanca Goods Wholesaler LLC), and Oman (Zeus Logistics Group). These front companies are used to obscure the IRGC’s role in selling crude oil, facilitating oil shipments, arranging vessels for shipments, and acting as a front for the National Iranian Oil Company, the country’s government-owned oil producer. The entities are capable of laundering tens of millions of dollars in revenue. 🎯 IMPACT: The sanctions aim to cut off the IRGC’s access to international financial systems. By cutting off Iran from international oil markets, the Islamic Republic’s ability to fund its military, foreign proxies, and terrorist activities is limited. On top of the most recent sanctions, the U.S. Treasury warned that it is willing to impose secondary sanctions on foreign financial institutions involved in facilitating oil shipments from Iran to China. |
As Iran’s military desperately tries to regroup, Economic Fury will continue to deprive the regime of funding for its weapons programs, terrorist proxies, and nuclear ambitions. Treasury will continue to cut the Iranian regime off from the financial networks it uses to carry out… https://t.co/nenSlWtW8T
— Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (@SecScottBessent) May 11, 2026
Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.