Overview

• On August 1, the US Treasury imposed sanctions on more than 50 individuals, entities and over 50 vessels linked to Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani’s maritime network in its most extensive Iran action since 2018.
• The Shamkhani network operates a vast fleet, shipping management firms and front companies that launder billions from Iranian and Russian oil sales, predominantly to China.
• Investigators documented up to 12 daily ship-to-ship transfers in the Riau Archipelago, with tankers disabling transponders and covering identification with tarps to evade detection.
• China, which purchases roughly 90% of Iran’s oil, has refused to recognize the unilateral US sanctions and continues to receive clandestine shipments.
• The sanctions aim to choke funding for Tehran’s nuclear program by disrupting oil revenue streams that congressional reports estimate generated as much as $70 billion for Iran’s regime.