The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Wednesday (25 February) on more than 30 individuals, entities and "shadow fleet" vessels it said enabled Iran's illicit petroleum sales, ballistic missiles and weapons production.
Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control also targeted multiple networks that enable Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics to secure the precursor materials and machinery required for ballistic missile and other weapons production, the department said.
U.S. President Donald Trump has launched a campaign to clamp down on Iran's economy.
He also sent U.S. military forces to the Middle East and warned of a possible attack if Tehran does not reach a deal to resolve the longstanding dispute over its nuclear program.
Trump briefly laid out his case for a possible attack in his State of the Union address to Congress on Tuesday night.
Iran says its nuclear research is for civilian energy production. A senior Iranian official told Reuters on Sunday that Tehran and Washington remain sharply divided over which sanctions should be lifted and when.
Iran did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the new sanctions.
The sanctions targeted 12 shadow fleet vessels and their owners or operators that have collectively transported hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of Iranian petroleum and petrochemical products, the Treasury said.
The shadow fleet refers to ships that carry oil that is under sanctions. They are typically old, their ownership opaque and they sail without the top-tier insurance cover needed to meet international standards for major oil companies and many ports.
"Iran exploits financial systems to sell illicit oil, launder the proceeds, procure components for its nuclear and conventional weapons programs, and support its terrorist proxies," Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said in a statement.
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The United Kingdom has imposed a new wave of sanctions on Russia, targeting key financial institutions, logistics networks and vessels accused of helping Moscow sustain its war in Ukraine.
The European Union adopted its 20th package of sanctions against Russia on Thursday (23 April), introducing sweeping new restrictions aimed at weakening Moscow’s war economy and limiting its capacity to sustain the war in Ukraine.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he had "no problem" with any country sending crude to Cuba as a Russian tanker neared a Cuban port with a badly needed shipment, signalling he was reversing course on blocking oil shipments to the country on Sunday.
The European Union has proposed extending its sanctions against Russia to include ports in Georgia and Indonesia that handle Russian oil, the first time the bloc would target ports in third countries, a proposal document showed on Monday.
France said on Saturday it was considering taking reciprocal measures after Burkina Faso broke off diplomatic relations.
Tens of thousands of people are still unaccounted for after two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela. At least 589 people have been confirmed dead and hundreds are believed to be trapped under rubble, as emergency crews and international rescue teams race to respond.
Japan remained on high alert Saturday as Typhoon Mekkhala approached the eastern coast after Typhoon Higos weakened into a tropical depression. Authorities warned of continued heavy rain, flooding, and landslides, according to media reports.
A tanker reported being struck by a projectile in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, Britain's maritime security agency said, after the United States and Iran each launched strikes in the worst escalation since they signed their interim peace deal.
Germany and Poland are bracing for sweltering conditions as a deadly heatwave that has gripped Western Europe moves east, with temperatures expected to approach 40C over the weekend.
At least three paramilitary troops and three suspected militants were killed after heavily armed attackers stormed a Rangers security compound in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi on Saturday, authorities said.
"I will be president for only a couple of weeks, and then I will resign," Vucic told supporters at a pro-government rally in the capital, Belgrade.
The death toll in the twin earthquakes which rocked Venezuela earlier this week has risen to 1,430, top lawmaker Jorge Rodriguez said on Saturday. Another 3,200 people were injured and 3,100 left homeless by the disaster, he added on state television.
Australia said it would double the maximum penalty it can impose on tech firms found to have failed to uphold a groundbreaking social media ban for children, as evidence mounts that the ban has had little effect on teen use.
France said on Saturday it was considering taking reciprocal measures after Burkina Faso broke off diplomatic relations.
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