The United States has imposed additional sanctions targeting the Iranian regime's financial lifelines and weapons procurement networks, one day before nuclear talks with Iran.
On the 25th (local time), the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Department of State announced in a press release that they are "sanctioning numerous 'shadow fleet' vessels that have transported Iranian-origin crude oil, petroleum products, and petrochemical products worth a total of hundreds of millions of dollars, as well as their owners and operators."
The Treasury Department also explained that it has included in the sanctions list individuals and entities involved in weapons procurement networks based in Iran, T?rkiye, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which support the Iranian regime's development of ballistic missiles and advanced conventional weapons. As a result of this action, more than 30 individuals, entities, and vessels have been added to the sanctions list.
In a statement, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent pointed out that "Iran has exploited the financial system to sell illicit oil, launder the proceeds to procure parts needed for its nuclear and conventional weapons programs, and support terrorist proxies."
The assets of sanctioned individuals and entities in the United States will be frozen, and the assets of any company in which a sanctioned person holds a 50% or greater ownership interest will also be frozen. The U.S. Treasury specified the possibility of imposing "secondary boycotts (secondary sanctions)" on third parties that engage in transactions with sanctioned targets.
The Treasury Department stated that this measure is a continuation of the "maximum pressure" policy of the Donald Trump administration. At the same time, it stressed that "the objective is to disrupt the missile and drone development support and procurement networks that have been sustained at the expense of the Iranian people."
Meanwhile, the United States and Iran are scheduled to begin negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland, on the 26th, with Iran's nuclear program as the core agenda item.
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