(CNN)-- As the US military reimposed its blockade on Iranian ports on Tuesday, the US government escalated its economic pressure campaign on Tehran by additionally targeting one of the most prominent and controversial Iranian oil tycoons.

From the funeral ceremony of Ali Shamkhani at the "Imamzadeh Saleh" shrine in Tajrish Square in northern Tehran, March 14, 2026. Credit: ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images) /

The US Treasury Department issued a new package of sanctions targeting individuals, entities, and ships linked to Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, who is considered a key element in the "Shadow Fleet" network that has generated billions of dollars in oil revenues for both Moscow and Tehran.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that the network run by Shamkhani—who is the son of a prominent Iranian security figure—is considered one of "the most profitable engines of the Iranian regime." It is worth noting that Shamkhani is already subject to stringent sanctions imposed by the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom.

Shamkhani—who also uses the alias "Hugo Hayek"—was born in Tehran and formerly held citizenship of the Caribbean nation of Dominica, according to the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Dominica had faced accusations of selling passports to fugitives from justice, and revoked Shamkhani's citizenship last year under international pressure.

Mohammad Hossein is the son of the late Ali Shamkhani, former head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council and senior advisor to the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei; both Ali Shamkhani and Khamenei were killed in the same joint US-Israeli strike that occurred on the first day of the war with Iran.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) alleged that Shamkhani the son exploited his father's political influence to build and operate a fleet of tankers to smuggle sanctioned oil from Iran and Russia. According to the office, his empire has now expanded to include the shipping and commodity trading sectors.

Shamkhani and his brother Abu al-Fadl also used aliases such as "Hayek" and passports from Dominica to acquire luxury properties in Dubai worth approximately $29 million, according to an investigation by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project. The project reported that Dominica canceled Abu al-Fadl's citizenship in March.