By SCM REPORTER
THE UNITED STATES has launched a massive financial crackdown on Iran, targeting a “shadow fleet” of oil tankers and a web of secret arms dealers across the Middle East.
In a move designed to “choke off” the Iranian regime’s war chest, the U.S. State Department announced a fresh wave of sanctions aimed at stopping the flow of cash to Tehran’s ballistic missile and advanced weapons programmes.
Washington officials revealed that the crackdown targets a sophisticated “shadow fleet”—a collection of vessels used to illicitly transport hundreds of millions of pounds worth of Iranian petroleum and petrochemical products.
The sanctions also hit individuals and companies in Türkiye and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) accused of acting as middlemen to help the Iranian regime buy high-tech weaponry.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Thomas “Tommy” Pigott warned that the Iranian leadership is choosing rockets over bread for its own citizens.
”The Iranian regime continues to mismanage its economy, with catastrophic consequences for its people,” Pigott said. “It prioritizes funding of foreign proxies and missiles over the basic needs of ordinary Iranians.”
The move is a direct implementation of President Trump’s National Security Presidential Memorandum 2, which takes a hardline stance against Iran’s “aggressive” military expansion.
The White House is determined to block the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from accessing the assets they need to fund destabilising activities across the globe.
The new measures come as a result of what the U.S. calls Iran’s “significant non-performance” regarding its nuclear commitments.
By reimposing these United Nations-style restrictions, the U.S. aims to:
Disrupt the secret procurement of missile parts.
Seize assets of “shadow fleet” owners and operators.
Expose international networks helping Tehran bypass global trade bans.
The State Department vowed to use “all available means” to ensure the regime cannot continue to fund its “malign and destabilizing” agenda.
