The United States has announced a fresh round of sanctions against Iran, targeting the country’s oil exports and cryptocurrency activities as tensions between both nations continue to escalate.
The new measures, announced on Tuesday by the US Treasury Department, are aimed at disrupting Iran’s oil trade and cutting off financial channels the US says are being used to fund the country’s activities.
According to the Treasury, the sanctions focus on a network linked to oil shipping businessman Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, whom US authorities accuse of playing a major role in Iran’s petroleum exports and international commodities business.
In a major financial move, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also revealed that authorities had frozen more than $130 million held in digital wallets allegedly connected to the Central Bank of Iran.
The latest sanctions come as military tensions between Washington and Tehran continue to rise. The United States has carried out a fourth consecutive day of strikes against Iran while also restoring a naval blockade, with Iran reportedly responding by targeting ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The strategic waterway remains one of the world’s most important routes for global oil shipments, making the conflict a growing concern for international markets.
US officials said the latest sanctions target more than 50 individuals, companies and vessels allegedly involved in helping Iran generate revenue through oil exports.
According to the Treasury Department, over 200 individuals, entities and ships linked to the network have now been sanctioned.
Bessent said the United States would continue tracking and blocking financial channels used by Iran to generate income, including cryptocurrency transactions.
Experts say many Iranians have increasingly turned to digital assets in recent years due to long-standing international sanctions that have limited the country’s access to the global financial system.
The latest action marks another escalation in Washington’s efforts to increase economic pressure on Tehran as the Middle East conflict continues.
Source: AFP.
