The US has imposed sanctions on three individuals and nine companies for facilitating Iranian oil shipments to China, including entities based in Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Oman, according to Reuters.
The move by the US Department of the Treasury follows a separate round of sanctions announced on May 8 targeting networks involved in procuring weapons and components used in Iran’s drone and ballistic missile programs.
According to the Treasury, the latest measures, implemented by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), focus on individuals and entities linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which has been using front companies to sell and transport its allocated oil volumes to China.
The sanctions come days ahead of a planned meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, where Washington is expected to urge Beijing to help ease tensions with Iran and support the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US will continue deploying sanctions to restrict funding to Iran’s government and military, particularly targeting revenues linked to weapons development, nuclear activities, and regional proxy groups.
In parallel, the US State Department announced a reward of up to $15 million for information that could disrupt the financial networks of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its affiliates, which Washington designates as a terrorist organization.
IRGS is an elite branch of Iran’s armed forces responsible for protecting the regime, overseeing military operations, and controlling key economic and security activities, including parts of the oil sector and regional proxy networks.
The Treasury noted that the IRGC relies on shell companies to manage payments for its oil exports, building on sanctions imposed in July 2025 on Turkey-based Golden Globe, which has handled hundreds of millions of dollars in IRGC oil sales annually. The three sanctioned individuals were identified as working at the IRGC’s Shahid Purja’fari oil headquarters and coordinating payments through Golden Globe.
The targeted companies include Hong Kong-based Hong Kong Blue Ocean Ltd and Hong Kong Sanmu Ltd, described as cover firms arranging the sale and shipment of Iranian oil. Also listed are Hong Kong-based Jiandi HK Ltd, which signed a deal with the IRGC to purchase tens of millions of dollars of oil, and Max Honor International Trade Co Ltd, which bought millions of barrels of Iranian crude in 2025.
In the UAE, Dubai-based Ocean Allianz Shipping LLC and Sharjah-based Atic Energy FZE were cited for facilitating shipments on five sanctioned shadow fleet tankers in 2025, alongside Dubai-based Blanca Goods Wholesaler LLC and Universal Fortune Trading LLC, the latter allegedly used as a front company by the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC).
Oman-based Zeus Logistics Group was also designated for arranging vessels to transport Iranian oil cargoes.
