The United States imposed new sanctions Thursday on Iran-linked shipping and petrochemical companies, including two shipping firms based in China.
The sanctions also target 20 shipping vessels linked to firms in China, Vietnam, and the United Arab Emirates, the Treasury Department's website showed.
The sanctions were issued under a 2018 US executive order that restored sanctions targeting Iran's oil, banking, and transportation sectors.
The US sanctioned weeks ago nine entities across multiple jurisdictions that have played a critical role in the production, sale, and shipment of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of Iranian petrochemicals and petroleum to buyers in Asia.
These sanctions are the latest measure by the US President Joe Biden administration to limit the Iranian government's ability to earn money from the energy products subject to sanctions.
Meanwhile, the efforts to revive the Iranian nuclear deal remain stalled, while Iran continues to provide Russia with drones to use in its invasion of Ukraine.
Iran is increasingly turning to buyers in East Asia to sell its petrochemical and petroleum products, in violation of US sanctions, said Brian Nelson, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.
“The United States remains focused on targeting Tehran’s sources of illicit revenue and will continue to enforce its sanctions against those who wittingly facilitate this trade,” he added.
