The United States on Friday announced a fresh round of sanctions aimed at curbing Iran’s oil and petrochemical exports, targeting 14 vessels just hours after Tehran and Washington concluded a day of indirect talks in Oman on Iran’s nuclear programme.
US State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the sanctions were designed to choke off revenue streams that Iran allegedly uses to fund destabilising activities abroad and intensify repression at home.
“Iran uses oil revenue to fund destabilising activities around the world and step up its repression inside Iran,” Pigott said.
Trump Administration Reaffirms ‘Maximum Pressure’ Strategy
Pigott said President Donald Trump remains committed to aggressively enforcing sanctions under his administration’s renewed maximum pressure campaign.
“President Trump is committed to driving down the Iranian regime’s illicit oil and petrochemical exports,” he said in a statement.
As part of the move, the State Department ordered a block on all transactions involving 14 vessels allegedly engaged in transporting Iranian oil. The ships are reportedly flagged in Turkey, India and the United Arab Emirates, highlighting the global scope of the enforcement action.
More Entities and Individuals Sanctioned
In addition to the vessels, Washington also announced sanctions against 15 entities and two individuals accused of facilitating Iran’s oil trade despite existing restrictions.
Since Trump’s first term in office, the US has repeatedly imposed sweeping sanctions in an effort to force other countries to stop importing Iranian oil, a key source of revenue for Tehran.
Sanctions Announced Amid ‘Positive’ Nuclear Talks
The announcement came minutes after Iran’s foreign minister held indirect talks in Oman with senior Trump administration envoys on Tehran’s nuclear programme. Iranian officials later described the discussions as taking place in a “positive atmosphere”, signalling cautious optimism.
The diplomatic engagement comes at a sensitive time, following violent crackdowns by Iran’s clerical leadership on some of the largest protests since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Rising Tensions in the Region
Despite the talks, tensions remain high. Trump has previously threatened the use of force against Iran and has significantly increased the US military presence near Iran’s shores, underscoring Washington’s hardline posture even as diplomatic channels remain open.