The US Treasury Department has imposed sanctions against the Iranian oil sector including the oil ministry, oil minister, and the state-owned oil and shipping company in its latest round of sanctions against the country.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Treasury Department has blacklisted the Iranian Ministry of Petroleum, the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) as well as several leaders of these entities including petroleum minister Bijan Zanganeh and NITC managing director Nasrollah Sardashti for their alleged financial support to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF).
VLCCs Longbow Lake and Wu Xian were also blacklisted due to their link to NIOC. VesselsValue data shows the two vessels are owned by China’s Shanghai Tucson Roy Shipping and India’s Green Ocean Ship Management respectively.
“The regime in Iran uses the petroleum sector to fund the destabilizing activities of the IRGC-QF. The Iranian regime continues to prioritize its support for terrorist entities and its nuclear program over the needs of the Iranian people,” said treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin.
Last week, the US also blacklisted six Chinese entities for dealings with Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL).
