US sanctions Iran ,shadow fleet’ it says fuels violent protest crackdown

Move targets vessels used by Iran to generate ‘funds used to repress its own people’, US treasury secretary says.

In statements on Friday, the US officials directly tied the sanctions on the nine vessels and their respective owners or management firms to the government’s deadly crackdown on protesters.

In statements on Friday, the US officials directly tied the sanctions on the nine vessels and their respective owners or management firms to the government’s deadly crackdown on protesters.

In late January and February 2026, the United States government announced a new round of sanctions on Iran, specifically targeting what officials call Iran’s “shadow fleet” of shipping vessels used to move Iranian oil and other petroleum products around the world. The sanctions are part of Washington’s broader campaign to increase economic pressure on Tehran and condemn its violent suppression of anti-government protests within Iran.

The shadow fleet refers to a network of tankers and gas carriers — often older ships, flagged in places like Panama, Barbados, Palau, Comoros, and Vanuatu — that quietly transport Iranian petroleum to buyers in Asia, the Middle East and elsewhere. These vessels and the companies controlling them have been operating in ways designed to evade international sanctions, including irregular ship-to-ship transfers and opaque ownership practices. U.S. officials state that these activities generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for Iran.

According to the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the proceeds from these oil exports are not used to benefit the Iranian population but instead help finance internal repression, weapons programs, regional proxy groups, and terrorist activities — including the apparatus that has been responsible for violent crackdowns on protests.

In recent months, widespread protests have taken place across Iran. These demonstrations, originally sparked by economic hardship and political discontent, have confronted the government’s long-standing political and economic policies. In response, Tehran has carried out a brutal suppression of protesters, with rights groups reporting thousands of deaths and mass detentions. The Iranian government has also imposed internet shutdowns and restrictions on communication to prevent information from leaving the country.

U.S. officials link the shadow fleet sanctions directly to this crackdown. In official statements, the Treasury has said that crippling this fleet will limit Tehran’s financial ability to fund security services and other forces responsible for these abuses. This framing ties the economic action to human rights concerns and not just traditional national security or foreign policy objectives.

The latest sanctions designation included over 30 individuals, companies, and vessels — expanding previous rounds that focused only on a smaller number of ships. This group includes:

• Tankers and gas carriers that transported Iranian crude oil, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), high-sulphur fuel oil, condensate and other products.

• Management firms and owners that control these vessels.

• Networks in Iran, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates accused of procuring materials for Iran’s weapons programs and helping sustain the shadow fleet itself.

The sanctions freeze any assets these individuals and entities may have under U.S. jurisdiction and generally bar U.S. persons or businesses from engaging in financial transactions with them. Foreign financial institutions may also face secondary sanctions if they continue to facilitate business with these designated groups.

Iran’s government has not publicly accepted the allegations linking the shadow fleet revenue to its domestic repression. Tehran insists its oil exports and economic activities are law-abiding and necessary for its national needs, and it has rejected external criticism of its handling of protests.

As tensions remain high between Washington and Tehran — including ongoing disagreements over nuclear negotiations — the shadow fleet sanctions signal that the United States plans to sustain maximum economic pressure on Iran while highlighting human rights abuses as part of its rationale.