The US Treasury Department on Tuesday imposed sanctions on more than 50 individuals, entities, and vessels linked to the 'Mohammad Hossein Shamsakhani Shipping and Oil Trading Network,' coinciding with the issuance of a general license allowing the termination of certain activities and conducting specific transactions related to safety, the environment, and unloading cargoes linked to some of those subject to sanctions.

The department said in a statement that the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued 'Iran General License Z,' which authorizes transactions that would otherwise be prohibited by sanctions after the designation of the targeted individuals and vessels on July 14, but it is limited to winding down existing activities and certain safety, emergency, environmental protection, and cargo unloading operations, and does not represent a general exemption from sanctions.

It added that the new package targets what it described as the 'Shamsakhani sanctions evasion and illicit shipping network,' noting that the network plays a key role in Iranian oil exports and has expanded its activities to include container shipping and global commodity trading.

Escalating Economic Pressure

The US Treasury linked the measures to escalating economic pressure on Iran after it resumed what Washington called 'destabilizing attacks' in the Strait of Hormuz.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said: 'The Iranian regime relies on deception to survive, and the Shamsakhani network is one of its most profitable sources,' adding that 'the department is working to dismantle the financial structure that enables the regime to continue threatening US national security and global navigation.'

According to the department, these measures come as a continuation of sanctions issued in July 2025 and April 2026, bringing the total number of individuals, entities, and vessels subject to sanctions linked to the Shamsakhani network to more than 200.

Financiers and Logistics Companies

The sanctions targeted financiers and officials responsible for shipping activities and vessel management, including Iranians Hossein Ghorbani Zahed and Mohammad Reza Rahbar Madani, who also hold Dominican citizenship, and whom the department said provided financial services and front companies outside Iran to facilitate the trade of sanctioned goods and transfer their proceeds.

The sanctions also covered Iranian-Russian businessman Ali Rakhbar Madani, whom the department described as one of Shamsakhani's closest partners and who manages a large part of shipping operations and client communication.

It added that he encouraged the Russian side of the network's operations to seek ways to circumvent the Russian oil price cap in order to increase profits after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.

Targeting Container Shipping Companies

The US Treasury said the sanctions included Sea Lead Shipping PTE, based in Singapore, along with its subsidiaries in Dubai, the Marshall Islands, and India.

The measures also included container and cargo vessels and oil tankers flying the flags of Iran, Panama, Antigua and Barbuda, Palau, Barbados, and Saint Kitts and Nevis, in addition to vessels whose current countries of registration are unknown.

The department said that the Mohammad Hossein Shamsakhani network also operates a fleet in the Caspian Sea that primarily transports goods between Iran and Russia, in addition to the oil tankers DARIKA and VIRENT, which transported Russian oil products for the network.