The United States announced a new package of sanctions Friday aimed at crippling Iran’s covert oil-export infrastructure known as the “shadow fleet.”
The Trump administration’s push to squeeze Iran economically comes just hours after negotiations between Washington and Tehran wrapped up in Oman.
An envoy representing President Donald Trump, including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, met with Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi for talks in Muscat mediated by Omani officials. Araghchi said the talks were a “good start” and are set to continue.
Iran insisted the negotiations remain limited to its nuclear program, with ballistic missiles and regional influence issues off the table, but the U.S. sought to expand the agenda to include those concerns.
Soon after the Oman talks concluded, the State Department imposed sanctions to target a web of shipping companies, vessel operators, and tankers used to transport Iranian oil products abroad while masking the origin.
“The Department of State is sanctioning multiple entities, individuals, and vessels to stem the flow of revenue that the regime in Tehran uses to support terrorism abroad and repress its citizens,” the State Department said in a news release.
The Iranian government’s treatment of protesters and destabilization of the region were cited as reasons for the sanctions by the department.
“Time and time again, the Iranian government has prioritized its destabilizing behavior over the safety and security of its own citizens, as demonstrated by the regime’s mass murder of peaceful protesters,” the release said.
The sanctions target 15 entities, two individuals, and 14 vessels, accused of facilitating the illicit export of Iranian crude oil, petroleum products, and petrochemicals through a shadowy maritime network designed to evade long-standing U.S. sanctions.
The Iranian shadow fleet consists of tankers and associated companies that operate outside normal commercial channels, often using false identities, ship-to-ship transfers, and deceptive documentation to hide Iranian crude and refined products.
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The shipments have allowed Iran to sustain oil exports despite comprehensive sanctions and continue funding terrorism abroad.
The sanctions come amid heightened U.S. military presence in the region, including the deployment of naval assets.