The US on Friday announced sweeping new sanctions aimed at curbing Iran’s oil exports, blacklisting 14 vessels just hours after the two nations wrapped up a round of indirect talks in Oman, according to AFP.
State Department Spokesman Tommy Pigott warned that Tehran uses its oil revenues to ‘fund destabilizing activities around the world and step up its repression inside Iran.’
President Donald Trump is “committed to driving down the Iranian regime’s illicit oil and petrochemical exports under the administration’s maximum pressure campaign,” Pigott said in a statement.
The State Department also announced that it will block all transactions with 14 vessels accused of ferrying Iranian oil, including ships registered in Turkey, India, and the United Arab Emirates.
Moreover, it sanctioned 15 entities and two people.
Washington has imposed sanctions as a blunt instrument to force global buyers to avoid Iranian oil since Donald Trump’s first administration.
On Friday, Iran’s Foreign Minister held indirect talks in Oman with senior Trump envoys over the nuclear program, later declaring a ‘positive atmosphere.’
Last week, Washington imposed sanctions against Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni and a businessman accused of laundering funds for Tehran.
The US Department of the Treasury accused Interior Minister Momeni of orchestrating a brutal security crackdown in Iran this month.
The Treasury also noted that other five other Iranian security officials involved in “violently repressing the Iranian people,” have been financially sanctioned.
The sanctions package also targeted Iranian investor Babak Zanjani and two Britain‑registered digital asset exchanges, accused by the Treasury of channeling funds tied to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Related Topics:
Iran Confirms Talks with US Amidst Tensions and Threats
Qatari PM Visits Iran Amid Mounting Tensions in Region
UAE Bars Use of Its Territory for Strikes on Iran
