US sanctions target Iran’s oil lifeline, starving terror networks while deterring executions and nuclear escalation.
The Trump administration announced a fresh wave of sanctions Friday against the **Iran**ian regime, zeroing in on a covert “shadow fleet” of tankers used to move illicit oil and bankroll repression and terror.
The US Department of the Treasury said its Office of Foreign Assets Control designated nine vessels along with their owners and managers, accusing Tehran of diverting hundreds of millions of dollars from oil sales to fund regional terror proxies and weapons programs—while crushing peaceful dissent at home.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described Iran’s course as “economic self-immolation,” accelerated by President Donald Trump’s maximum-pressure campaign. “Tehran chose terrorists over its own people,” he said, adding that sanctions now strike the financial arteries used to repress Iranians.
The move follows last week’s designations of Iranian security officials implicated in the violent crackdown. It also comes amid heightened deterrence signals: Trump disclosed a significant US naval buildup near Iran and warned that further atrocities would trigger devastating consequences.
Trump said his warning last week halted 837 planned executions, claiming the regime canceled—rather than postponed—the hangings. Despite that pause, he emphasized readiness remains high: a “massive fleet” is positioned, and new economic penalties will hit countries trading with Iran.
The President also reiterated that Iran must abandon nuclear ambitions, warning of overwhelming retaliation if protesters are murdered or assassination threats are acted upon.
For Israel and its allies, the message is unmistakable: cut terror funding at the source, deter mass murder, and deny Tehran any pathway to nuclear blackmail. The shadow fleet crackdown tightens the vise—economically, militarily, and morally.
