President Donald Trump‘s administration expanded sanctions against Iran ahead of another round of nuclear talks, ramping up the U.S. “maximum pressure” policy for Tehran.
Representatives of the U.S. and Iran are slated to meet once again in Geneva this week as tensions in the Middle East continue to rise. The Treasury Department’s new sanctions target Iran’s shadow fleet as well as networks supplying ballistic missiles and other advanced weapons to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s regime.
The sanctions specifically hit over 30 individuals, entities and vessels that are involved in Iran’s illicit behavior. That ranges from the transport of Iranian petroleum to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iran’s Ministry of Defense’s supply lines for building advanced missiles and drones.
“Iran exploits financial systems to sell illicit oil, launder the proceeds, procure components for its nuclear and conventional weapons programs, and support its terrorist proxies,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. “Under President Trump’s strong leadership, Treasury will continue to put maximum pressure on Iran to target the regime’s weapons capabilities and support for terrorism, which it has prioritized over the lives of the Iranian people.”
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The sanctions hit at least 12 vessels allegedly involved in Iran’s shadow fleet, along with nine companies associated with the same. The new sanctions also name four individuals for “being owned or controlled by” to Qods Aviation Industries, a company the U.S. says “designs and manufactures light and ultra‑light UAVs” and supplies them to Iran and its allies, including Russia and Venezuela.
The new sanctions come after Iran lashed out at the U.S. after Trump put the regime on notice in his State of the Union address Tuesday night, delivering a forceful warning about Tehran’s ambitions.
Speaking amid the largest deployment of U.S. aircraft and warships to the Middle East since the 2003 Iraq War buildup, Trump said he wanted to resolve tensions with Iran through diplomacy while accusing Tehran of expanding its missile capabilities.
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“They’ve already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our bases overseas,” he said. “And they’re working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America.”
Trump argued that previous U.S. action, including the “Operation Midnight Hammer” strike in June, had severely degraded Iran’s capabilities but warned the threat had not disappeared.
“We wiped it out and they want to start all over again and are at this moment again pursuing their sinister ambitions,” he said.
Tehran sharply rejected Trump’s claims about its missile and nuclear programs. According to The Associated Press, Iranian officials characterized U.S. statements as propaganda while stopping short of closing the door on diplomacy ahead of the Geneva talks.
The Times of India reported that Iranian officials warned any U.S. military strike, even a “limited” one, would be treated as aggression and met with a decisive response.