US sanctions Iran ‘shadow fleet’ it says fuels violent protest crackdown

Move targets vessels used by Iran to generate ‘funds used to repress its own people’, US treasury secretary says.

The United States has imposed a new series of sanctions related to Iran, targeting the so-called “shadow fleet” it said Tehran uses to support its oil exports.

In statements on Friday, the US officials directly tied the sanctions on the nine vessels and their respective owners or management firms to the government’s deadly crackdown on protesters.

The department said the fleet “collectively transported hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Iranian oil and petroleum products to foreign markets”. It is alleged that revenue from these products is being diverted to fund “regional terrorist proxies, weapons programs, and security services”.

In a statement, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the actions “target a critical component of how Iran generates the funds used to repress its own people”.

“Treasury will continue to track the tens of millions of dollars that the regime has stolen and is desperately attempting to wire to banks outside of Iran,” he added.