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The U.S. Treasury Department announced major sanctions Tuesday on a network of companies accused of helping Iran disguise the origin of its oil to evade sanctions.
This action came after Monday’s sanctions on individuals tied to Iran’s nuclear weapons efforts and Sunday’s fourth round of U.S.-Iran nuclear talks under President Trump. While Iran seeks sanctions relief, the Trump administration remains focused on curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
The Treasury said nearly two dozen firms across several countries were involved in Iran’s illegal oil trade. The key target is Sepehr Energy, which is accused of using front companies to secretly move oil and money.
“Today’s action underscores our continued focus on intensifying pressure on every aspect of Iran’s oil trade, which the regime uses to fund its dangerous and destabilizing activities,” Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said in the press release. “The United States will continue targeting this primary source of revenue, so long as the regime continues its support for terrorism and proliferation of deadly weapons.”
State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce confirmed Tuesday the sanctioned firms were helping fund Iran’s ballistic missile and UAV programs, nuclear proliferation, and terror proxies, including Houthi attacks on U.S. and allied targets. She warned that as long as Iran uses illicit revenue for terrorism and destabilization, the U.S. will continue to act.
The Trump administration has held indirect talks with Iran via Oman since April, but insists sanctions will remain until Iran halts its uranium enrichment. Iran, however, claims it seeks only peaceful nuclear energy and wants sanctions relief. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has firmly stated that Tehran will not stop uranium enrichment under any circumstances, stating last week:
“Enrichment is one of the major achievements and a source of national pride. It has come at a high cost — including the lives of our nuclear scientists. It is absolutely non-negotiable… From our point of view, enrichment must continue. There’s absolutely no room for compromise on that. While we may agree to some temporary limits — on levels, quantities, or scale — for the sake of building trust, but the fundamental right to enrichment is non-negotiable.”
After the fourth round of talks on Sunday, Iranian officials said they would only accept temporary enrichment limits like those in the defunct 2015 JCPOA deal. However, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff made clear the Trump administration rejects any JCPOA-style terms, demanding full dismantlement of Iran’s enrichment sites at Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan. He stressed in an interview with Breitbart that the U.S. won’t lift sanctions without permanent restrictions and total dismantlement, rejecting the JCPOA’s sunset clauses and loopholes.
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