According to information from the US side, companies run by dual Iranian and British citizen Salim Ahmed Said have purchased and transported billions of dollars worth of oil from Iran, disguised as Iranian oil since 2020.
By mixing Iranian oil with Iranian oil and using fake documents, Said and related companies have sold the oil to Western customers, mainly via Iraq or the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
One of the key companies, VS tankers, formerly known as AISSOT, based in the UAE, has operated with the aim of serving the Iranian government and the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps - an organization listed by the US as a terrorist.
The US Department of Finance said Said avoided official links with the Tankers to avoid sanctions. However, this business was indicated in the new sanctions, accompanied by a number of other transport ships accused of participating in the transportation of Iran oil secretly - part of the "dark" fleet used by Iran to avoid international embargo.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent affirmed that Washington will continue to put economic pressure on Tehran to cut off financial revenue for activities considered to be causing instability in the Middle East. We will undermine the Iranian regimes access to financial resources, he said.
The US has repeatedly imposed sanctions on Iran's oil exports, as part of a curb of the country's nuclear program and Tehran's role in supporting armed groups in the Middle East. Sources show that the oil smuggling network operated by Iran in Iraq since 2022 could bring more than $1 billion a year to Tehran and its proxies.
The new sanctions were announced shortly after the US launched airstrikes on June 22 targeting three Iranian nuclear facilities, including the uranium enrichment plant Fordow - one of the most heavily protected targets. The Pentagon said the strikes had delayed Iran's nuclear program by up to two years.
According to some sources, the US and Iran are expected to resume nuclear talks next week in Oslo.
In addition to oil-related sanctions, the US Treasury Department also announced sanctions against many senior officials and an organization affiliated with the Hezbollah-controlled financial institution Al-Qard Al- hassan. These people are accused of having conducted many financial transactions to conceal their direct links to Hezbollah, while providing economic benefits to the organization.
