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US Treasury hits Iran's shadow oil trade with sweeping sanctions

Nov 20, 2025, 23:37 GMT+0Updated: 23:52 GMT+0
US Treasury department, Washington DC, File photo
US Treasury department, Washington DC, File photo

The US Department of the Treasury on Thursday imposed broad new sanctions on what it described as a network helping Iran evade restrictions on its petroleum exports and fund illicit activities.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added more than 50 individuals, companies, vessels, and aircraft to its Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list, focusing on front companies and shipping entities linked to Iran's Sepehr Energy Jahan Nama Pars Company — a key oil broker — and the already-sanctioned Mahan Air.

“Today’s action continues Treasury’s campaign to cut off funding for the Iranian regime’s development of nuclear weapons and support of terrorist proxies,” Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said in a statement.“Disrupting the Iranian regime’s revenue is critical to helping curb its nuclear ambitions.”

Among the designated individuals are Singapore-based Fadzlon Bin Ahmad and his son Muhammad Danial Bin Fadzlon, who managed covert payments for Iranian oil, according to the Treasury announcement.

Several Iranian nationals directly tied to Mahan Air and Sepehr Energy operations were also added to the list, including Mohammad Reza Moaref Jahromi, Mohammad Mahdi Maghfoori, Ahmad Ghaedi, Hamidreza Heidari, Sayyed Mojtaba Hosseini, and Kaveh Rostami Zahabi.

Carriers and companies

UAE-based ship management firms including Alsafeenah Althahabya, Deep Current Shipping, and Mars Investment, as well as Singapore shipping entities Anbo Shipping and Strasselink, were designated.

Indian firm RN Ship Management and a newly established carrier, Yazd International Airways Company, which the treasury said was a front company for previously designated Mahan Air, were sanctioned as well.

A series of shadow-fleet oil and LPG tankers flying flags of convenience (Panama, Comoros, Cameroon, Palau, Gambia) were sanctioned for transporting Iranian petroleum products. Seven additional aircraft operated by Mahan Air were also designated.

Treasury officials say the action disrupts critical revenue streams Iran uses to fund proxies and destabilize the region, closing loopholes exploited through UAE, Singapore, and India-based facilitators.

The sanctions were announced the same day the IAEA Board of Governors passed a resolution demanding Iran provide urgent access and information on its enriched uranium stocks and bombed nuclear sites.

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