US Sanctions Network Facilitating Shipments For Iranian Military

The United States announced new Iran-related counterterrorism sanctions on Thursday, targeting Oceanlink Maritime DMCC and its vessels.

The new sanctions are a response to Oceanlink Maritime DMCC's involvement in shipping commodities for Iran's military, the US Treasury Department said.

These sanctions aim to isolate Iran and hinder its ability to fund proxy groups through financial restrictions. The UAE-based Oceanlink manages a fleet of over a dozen vessels heavily involved in transporting Iranian goods, according to the Treasury Department.

“We are focused on disrupting Iran’s ability to finance its terrorist proxy and partner groups and support to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson. “The United States will continue to use our full range of tools to target the illicit funding streams that enable Iran’s destabilizing activities in the region and around the world.”

Abram Paley, the US Deputy Iran Envoy said in a statement on X that “Financial supporters of Iran's Ministry of Defense will be subject to US sanctions for contributing to Iran's illicit funding streams. We remain committed to disrupting Iran’s support to terrorism throughout the Middle East and production of weapons that support Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.”

The US Treasury Department highlighted the recent activities of the Oceanlink-managed vessel HECATE, which conducted a ship-to-ship transfer loading Iranian commodities valued at over $100 million dollars from another sanctioned tanker.

In its statement, the Treasury underscored the series of US and Western sanctions aimed at curtailing Iran's destabilizing activities across the globe. Iran's network of proxies spans various countries in the Middle East, including Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen.