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.
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The Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has strongly condemned the order by U.S. President Donald Trump to resume nuclear weapons testing, while having bombed Iran’s civilian nuclear sites in June and threatening further strikes.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Tehran is pursuing what he termed a policy of “provincial diplomacy” to promote Iran’s trade and cultural relations with its neighbouring countries.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is conducting inspections in Iran but has not visited the three sites that were bombed by the United States in June, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said Wednesday.
Iran’s deputy foreign minister for Legal affairs Kazem Gharibabadi has said that plans are underway for the repatriation of Iranian prisoners and enhancing border security and controls.
Reports from CNN say the Pentagon has approved the provision of long range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine after assessing its impact on U.S. stockpiles, while leaving the ultimate decision to President Trump.
Tanzanian police fired tear gas and live rounds on Thursday to disperse protesters in Dar es Salaam and other cities, a day after a disputed election marked by violence and claims of political repression, witnesses said.
Russia launched a barrage of drones and missiles at Ukraine's energy infrastructure and other targets, forcing nationwide power restrictions and killing seven people, including a seven-year-old girl, Ukrainian officials said on Thursday.
The U.S. State Department has ordered the departure of all non-emergency personnel and their family members from Mali, citing escalating security risks as al Qaeda-linked insurgents tighten a fuel blockade on the country.
Argentina has boosted security along its border with Brazil following a large-scale police operation against the Comando Vermelho gang in Rio de Janeiro, which has reportedly left more than 100 people dead since it began on Tuesday.
Chinese electric carmaker BYD is making major strides in Europe, with sales surging nearly fivefold in September from a year earlier to just under 25,000 new registrations.
U.S. stocks were mixed late Wednesday as traders digested comments from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, who signaled that another interest rate cut in December is far from guaranteed. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 edged slightly lower, while the Nasdaq climbed on continued gains
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Türkiye’s main stock index, BIST 100, closed on Friday at 10,941.79 points, recording a 3.14% increase.
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