The United States imposed sanctions on Thursday on Iran's Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad and some Hong Kong-flagged vessels that are part of a shadow fleet that helps disguise Iranian oil shipments, the Treasury Department said.
President Donald Trumpre-imposed "maximum pressure" policy on Iran in February that includes efforts to drive its oil exports to zero in order to stop Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and funding militant groups.
Paknejad "oversees the export of tens of billions of dollars’ worth of Iranian oil and has allocated billions of dollars’ worth of oil to Iran’s armed forces for export," Treasury said in a statement.
“The Iranian regime continues to use the proceeds from the nation’s vast oil resources to advance its narrow, alarming self-interests at the expense of the Iranian people,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.
“Treasury will fight and disrupt any attempts by the regime to fund its destabilizing activities and further its dangerous agenda.”
Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
Treasury also designated owners or operators of vessels that have delivered Iranian oil to China or lifted it from storage there, it said. Those were in multiple jurisdictions, including India and China, it said.
Iran's military relies on a vast shadow fleet of ships to disguise shipments of oil worth billions of dollars to China.
Thursday's designated vessels include the Hong Kong-flagged Peace Hill and its owner Hong Kong Heshun Transportation Trading Limited, the Iran-flagged Polaris 1, the Seychelles-registered Fallon Shipping Company Ltd, and the Liberia-registered Itaugua Services Inc, Treasury said.
It also designated the Panama-flagged Corona Fun, which it said has manipulated automatic identification systems to disguise efforts to ship Iranian oil, and the San Marino-flagged Seasky, for transporting fuel oil on behalf of Iran's national oil company to China.
The sanctions block U.S. assets of the designated entities and prohibit Americans from engaging in any transactions with them.
The U.S. Department of State is designating three entities and three vessels as blocked property, it said.
Senior diplomats from Iran, Russia, and China gathered in Beijing on Friday for discussions on Tehran's nuclear programme, following Iran's rejection of U.S. "orders" to resume talks over the issue.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has not ruled out negotiations with the US but insists they must be on equal footing. He warned that talks under pressure would be futile, as Supreme Leader Khamenei reiterated that negotiations with Washington would only worsen sanctions.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday rejected holding negotiations with the United States over a nuclear deal, as a letter was delivered from U.S. President Donald Trump calling for such talks.
The US has upheld Iraq's waiver for Iranian gas imports but revoked its power import exemption. The decision poses challenges for Iraq's energy sector, which relies heavily on Iranian gas. The US urges Iraq to diversify energy sources and reduce dependence on Iran.
Chinese and Russian warships have entered Iranian territorial waters to participate in the "Security Belt 2025" naval drills in the northern Indian Ocean which is set to begin today.
The President of the Democratic Republic of Congo Felix Tshisekedi is considering a sit-down with Rwanda backed armed group M23.
At just 17, Vakhtang Salia is set to swap Dinamo Tbilisi for Newcastle United, marking a major step in his career. The young striker, inspired by Georgian stars like Kvaratskhelia, will move to England in August, hoping to shine in the Premier League and one day represent his national team.
Zara owner Inditex reported a 10% rise in transport emissions in 2024, driven by increased air freight to avoid shipping delays caused by Red Sea disruptions. While the retailer made progress in reducing sourcing-related emissions, it faces challenges in meeting its long-term climate targets.
BMW expects a €1 billion loss for 2025 due to the US-EU tariff dispute, including a 25% duty on certain vehicles and tariffs on its China-made electric cars. The company hopes not all tariffs will remain for the full year.
XPeng Motors plans to mass-produce flying cars by 2026, becoming the first company globally to do so. CEO He Xiaopeng also highlighted advancements in autonomous driving and humanoid robotics as part of the company’s future tech initiatives.
World leaders welcomed the 30-day ceasefire proposal that Ukraine has agreed to, calling it a step toward ending the conflict with Russia.
BioNTech forecasts a revenue decline for 2025, expecting between 1.7 billion and 2.2 billion euros, down from 2.75 billion euros last year. This drop is due to Pfizer write-downs and stable vaccination rates. BioNTech also plans significant job cuts and new hires.
In Tuesday’s closely watched parliamentary election, Greenland’s pro-business opposition Demokraatit party took a commanding lead after over 90% of the ballots were counted.
Regarding the Armenia-Azerbaijan process, we cannot forget the years of occupation, and we will not forget them, President Ilham Aliyev said in his speech at the opening ceremony of the 12th Global Baku Forum.
BMW expects a €1 billion loss for 2025 due to the US-EU tariff dispute, including a 25% duty on certain vehicles and tariffs on its China-made electric cars. The company hopes not all tariffs will remain for the full year.
Uzbekistan has signed an agreement with French and Japanese companies to initiate uranium production in the Navoi region by the end of 2025.
Türkiye’s state-owned Turkish Petroleum Corporation signed a joint venture agreement with U.S. oil giants Continental Resources and TransAtlantic Petroleum, Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar announced.
The Bank of Canada trimmed its key policy rate by 25 basis points on Wednesday, lowering it to 2.75%, as concerns mount over inflationary pressures and weaker economic growth driven by renewed trade uncertainties and tariff threats.
Canada will introduce $29.8 billion in retaliatory tariffs in response to the U.S. decision to impose 25% duties on steel and aluminium imports. The move follows similar action by the EU, escalating trade tensions with Washington.
The President of the Democratic Republic of Congo Felix Tshisekedi is considering a sit-down with Rwanda backed armed group M23.
At just 17, Vakhtang Salia is set to swap Dinamo Tbilisi for Newcastle United, marking a major step in his career. The young striker, inspired by Georgian stars like Kvaratskhelia, will move to England in August, hoping to shine in the Premier League and one day represent his national team.
Zara owner Inditex reported a 10% rise in transport emissions in 2024, driven by increased air freight to avoid shipping delays caused by Red Sea disruptions. While the retailer made progress in reducing sourcing-related emissions, it faces challenges in meeting its long-term climate targets.
BMW expects a €1 billion loss for 2025 due to the US-EU tariff dispute, including a 25% duty on certain vehicles and tariffs on its China-made electric cars. The company hopes not all tariffs will remain for the full year.
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