US Widens Sanctions Net to Include Any Firm Working in Iranian Shipping

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Monday August 24, 2026
  • Shipping named a sector of the Iranian economy under Executive Order 13902
  • OFAC can now sanction any person operating in it, wherever they are located
  • Digital assets, technology, gold, and aviation named alongside shipping

The US can now sanction companies anywhere in the world for working in Iran's shipping sector, after the US Treasury Monday named shipping a sector of the Iranian economy.

In total, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued five new sectoral sanctions determinations under Executive Order 13902, in a step the department described as unprecedented.

"With today's action, OFAC can now sanction any person, regardless of where they are located, that operates in the following sectors of the Iranian economy," it said in a statement.

Those sectors are shipping, digital assets, technology, gold, and aviation.

On shipping, the US Treasury said Iran's national shipping line "regularly transports sensitive weapons components and missile precursors, while Iran’s national tanker service illicitly ships oil for the regime and its military services."

It has already issued similar determinations for Iran's financial, petroleum, and petrochemical sectors.

"Our objective is to sever every economic lifeline that sustains this tyrannical regime until Tehran stands alone," said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

Ship & Bunker News Team
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