U.S. Treasury adds nearly 60 individuals and firms to Iran sanctions list
Select a version of the text written from a presumed ideological perspective. This is not the original text, but a hypothetical version — how someone with that viewpoint might have phrased it. Tapping the current version again will return to the original or select cleaned version.
The United States imposed new sanctions on about 60 entities worldwide, targeting networks that support Iran's oil revenue, weapons programs and cyber activities, while Iran dismissed the measures as ineffective.
The U.S. Treasury announced on Monday a new round of sanctions that target roughly 60 individuals, companies and vessels linked to Iran's oil, weapons and cyber operations. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described the action as an effort to "sever every economic lifeline" sustaining Tehran, noting the campaign aims to pressure Iran amid an ongoing conflict.
According to the Treasury, the designations focus on five sectors—digital assets, technology, gold, aviation and shipping—used by Iran to generate revenue and evade export controls. The list includes Iranian ministries such as the Ministry of Intelligence and Security and the Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics, as well as foreign firms in Hong Kong, China, Singapore, the United Kingdom and other jurisdictions that allegedly facilitated procurement, logistics and financing for Iran's nuclear and missile programs.
The United States said a procurement network spanning the Middle East and East Asia helped Iran obtain dual-use technology through front companies and covert financial channels. Entities in Hong Kong, including Sweet Ocean Industrial Ltd, were accused of acting as intermediaries for sensitive equipment, while Chinese firms such as Shenzhen Sweet Ocean Technology Ltd were targeted for providing test instruments and acting as sourcing agents.
Iranian officials rejected the sanctions. Economy Minister Ali Madanizadeh told the Fars News Agency that Iran has programs to counter U.S. measures and that the sanctions would not achieve their goals. Government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani said the president would guide the country through the “intense gauntlet,” and an IRGC spokesperson claimed the sanctions proved U.S. defeat on the battlefield.
China warned that the sanctions would not resolve the conflict and opposed what it called illegal unilateral measures. Former UN special rapporteur Alfred-Maurice de Zayas warned that the U.S. approach could backfire, prompting countries to distance themselves from the dollar.
The Treasury did not name any countries that might face secondary sanctions and said it would give businesses time to end ties with Iran. Bessent emphasized that the United States does not intend to “blow up the global financial system.”