More US sanctions on Iran and its proxy

The Donald Trump-led US administration has hit Iran and Yemeni Houthi militants with stricter sanctions.

IMAGE: Getty Images

The US administration has imposed strict sanctions on three vessels, five individuals and about twenty other entities for transporting sanctioned Iranian oil and other goods for the Islamic Republic.

The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned Panama-flagged bulk carrier Shun Kai Xing for carrying sensitive machinery for Iran’s defense industry, it said.

The vessel is owned by Hong Kong-based Unico Shipping. The company has “prepared to obfuscate the Iranian clients through the falsification of the shipping paperwork, with the intent to later facilitate the shipments to Bandar Abbas, Iran,” OFAC said.

The US treasury department has sanctioned two more vessels - Valente and Atlantis MZ - and their owners for delivering gasoline and refined petroleum products to the Houthi-controlled port of Ras Isa.

“The Valente discharged over 60,000 metric tons of gasoline and departed Ras Isa port on May 17, 2025,” OFAC claims.

This move has reaffirmed the US government’s stance on tighter sanctions against Iran amid escalating tensions.

By Aparupa Mazumder

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