US tightens grip on Iran oil shipments to China with fresh sanctions

The U.S. government on Monday announced sanctions against three people and nine companies for aiding Iran’s shipment of oil to China, with four of the firms based in Hong Kong, four in the United Arab Emirates, and one in Oman. The new designations aim at front companies that helped the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps move revenue from Iran’s oil allotment to China, using layered networks to hide payments.\n\nTreasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the move would cut the Iranian regime off from the financial networks it uses to fund weapons programs, its nuclear activities, and proxies in the region. The action comes as the State Department also announced a reward of up to $15 million for information that disrupts the IRGC’s financial mechanisms. Treasury emphasised that the IRGC relies on shell entities to arrange and receive payments for its oil dealings. Monday’s action builds on sanctions imposed in July 2025 against Golden Globe, a Turkey-based company that Washington says handles large-scale IRGC oil sales.\n\nOfficials noted the timing ahead of a planned meeting between U.S. President and Xi Jinping, where Washington is pressing Beijing to help resolve the Iran standoff and support the reopening of the critical Strait of Hormuz. The sanctions reflect a broader strategy to deprive Tehran of funding for weapons, its nuclear program, or support for proxies, while signaling that the United States will keep using financial tools to pressure the Iranian regime.\n\nBy targeting these networked routes and shell companies, Washington intends to disrupt the flow of money behind Iran’s oil trade with China and complicate the IRGC’s ability to finance operations, aiming to maintain stability in global energy markets and regional security.

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