WASHINGTON — The United States announced a sweeping set of sanctions on Thursday targeting key elements of Iran's shadow shipping and aviation networks accused of facilitating the regime's illicit petroleum trade, according to a joint statement from the Departments of State and Treasury. The action, unveiled on November 20, 2025, designates a total of 58 entities, individuals, vessels, and aircraft across multiple jurisdictions, aiming to sever revenue streams that Washington alleges fund Tehran's nuclear ambitions, ballistic missile development, and support for proxy militias like Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Hamas.
The coordinated effort represents the latest escalation in President Donald Trump's "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran, which has intensified since his February 4, 2025, issuance of National Security Presidential Memorandum 2 (NSPM-2). This directive mandates aggressive measures to drive Iran's oil exports to zero, denying the regime access to funds for its destabilizing activities. "Iran's illicit oil sales provide the regime with billions to bankroll terror and threats to our allies," said Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a briefing at the State Department. "These sanctions expose and dismantle the deceptive networks that keep this machine running, from shadowy tankers to front companies in Asia and the Middle East."
Under the sanctions, the State Department designated 17 entities, individuals, and vessels implicated in the transport and sale of Iranian petroleum and petrochemical products. These include maritime service providers in Singapore, such as Strasselink Pte. Ltd., which allegedly provided pilotage services to National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) vessels carrying Iranian crude through the Straits of Malacca on at least 13 occasions between January and August 2025. Other targets span India, Panama, the Seychelles, and Vietnam, including Arkadia Maritime Incorporated, a Marshall Islands-based firm that managed the Panama-flagged tanker Aquaris (IMO 9251822), which loaded Iranian crude from the U.S.-designated Blue Gulf in Singapore's Eastern Outer Port Limits in August 2025. Sao Viet Petrol Transportation Company Limited, a Vietnam-based operator, faces renewed scrutiny for transporting shipments worth hundreds of millions of dollars, building on its prior designation under Executive Order 14024 in January 2025.
Complementing these measures, the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on 41 additional targets, focusing on the financial and logistical backbone of Iran's "shadow fleet" — a network of aging, often-flagged tankers that employ tactics like automatic identification system (AIS) manipulation, ship-to-ship transfers, and falsified documents to evade detection. Among the aviation-related designations is Yazd International Airways Company, a subsidiary of the sanctioned Mahan Air, accused of ferrying Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force operatives to Lebanon for Hezbollah operations and smuggling weapons to the Assad regime in Syria. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent emphasized that these aviation links not only transport personnel but also enable the procurement of dual-use components for Iran's drone and missile programs, posing direct threats to U.S. forces in the region.
The sanctions invoke Executive Orders 13846 and 13902, which reimpose restrictions on Iran's petroleum and petrochemical sectors, blocking all U.S.-jurisdiction property and interests of the designated parties while prohibiting American entities from transactions with them. This brings the total number of Iran-related designations under the Trump administration to over 250 individuals, entities, and vessels since NSPM-2, with more than 170 shadow fleet tankers now blacklisted in 2025 alone. Analysts note that these actions have already contributed to a measurable decline in Iranian oil exports, particularly to China, which absorbs up to 90% of Tehran's illicit crude. Exports dropped by approximately 15% in the third quarter of 2025 compared to the prior year, as buyers like independent "teapot" refineries in Shandong Province face heightened compliance risks.
This latest round builds on a series of enforcement actions throughout 2025. In April, Treasury targeted over 30 brokers and vessels, including UAE-based Petroquimico FZE, which purchased tens of millions in Iranian petroleum products from the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC). By July, sanctions hit 20 entities involved in deceptive shipping practices, including a China-based terminal operator that accepted Iranian crude from U.S.-designated tankers. October's designations expanded to over 50 facilitators of oil and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) shipments, sanctioning vessels like the Panama-flagged Madestar (IMO 9289726), which delivered multiple Iranian cargoes to China between September 2024 and August 2025. These cumulative efforts have frozen assets worth billions and disrupted networks tied to the IRGC's Armed Forces General Staff (AFGS), which allocates oil revenues to supplement military budgets.
The broader context of U.S. sanctions against Iran dates back to 1979, following the embassy hostage crisis, but has sharpened under successive administrations to counter Tehran's nuclear program and regional aggression. The Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act (CISADA) of 2010 and subsequent measures like the Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act have empowered OFAC to target secondary enablers, such as foreign banks and insurers that facilitate illicit trade. In 2025, this has included determinations identifying Iran's construction sector as IRGC-controlled, expanding prohibitions on strategic materials procurement. The UN's snapback of pre-JCPOA sanctions on September 27, 2025, further amplified these pressures, reinstating arms embargoes and asset freezes in response to Iran's significant non-performance on nuclear commitments.
Critics, including some European diplomats, argue that while effective in curbing revenues—estimated at $10–15 billion annually from illicit sales—the sanctions exacerbate humanitarian challenges in Iran, where inflation has surged above 40% amid currency devaluation. Tehran has dismissed the measures as "economic terrorism," vowing to accelerate domestic refining capacity and pivot to barter deals with allies like Russia and Venezuela. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated on state media that "these desperate U.S. tactics will only strengthen our resolve for self-reliance," echoing rhetoric from Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
From Washington's perspective, the sanctions are a calibrated tool to force negotiations. "We seek a diplomatic off-ramp, but Iran must verifiably curb its nuclear escalations and proxy wars," Rubio added, referencing stalled talks under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) framework. Experts note that while no single action will completely choke Iran's trade—given its shadow fleet's adaptability—the cumulative impact is eroding profitability, with discounts on Iranian crude reaching $17 per barrel in some deals.
As global oil markets stabilize, these sanctions underscore U.S. prioritization of national security over energy price fluctuations. With Iran's 2025 exports projected to fall below 1 million barrels per day—a 20% drop from 2024—the pressure mounts for Tehran to engage. Yet, amid escalating IRGC drone strikes on U.S. assets in Iraq and Syria, the path to de-escalation remains fraught.
The international community watches closely, with allies like the UK and Israel praising the moves as vital to countering Tehran's malign influence. For now, the sanctions serve as both sword and shield, aiming to starve the regime's war chest while signaling unwavering resolve. As Bessent put it, "Iran's oil isn't just fuel—it's the lifeblood of terror. We're cutting it off, one network at a time."
