United States – The U.S. targeted the deputy commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a Houthi militant and two shipments which are registered in Hong Kong and the Marshall Islands with additional sanctions. One of the shipments had been used for transport of almost $100 million worth of Iranian commodities in China.
Individual Sanctions Issued
On Tuesday, two persons, Mohammad Reza Falahzadeh, an Iranian administration official, and Ibrahim al-Nashiri from the Houthi group, were sanctioned on Tuesday.
Panama-flagged vessel Kohana, which is owned by Hong Kong-registered company Kohana Co. Ltd., and Marshall Islands-registered company Iridescent, which is the parent company of the Kohana ship, were also placed under sanctions. The US claims that the Kohana ship has delivered over 100 million dollars’ worth of Iranian products to Chinese companies, pursing the orders on behalf of Iran’s Ministry of Defense, as reported by Associated Press.
Additional Sanctions on Hong Kong-Based Entities
Moreover, the US imposed sanctions on Hong Kong-based Cap Tees Shipping Co. Ltd., which is the owner of Artura, accused of transporting Iranian goods to the Houthi and Iranian financial facilitator Sa’id al-Jamal, who previously had been sanctioned. The Treasury argued that the Artura passed on Sanan II’s name to complete its shipment.
“Iran’s Ministry of Defense is at the forefront of Iran’s destabilizing activities, such as aiding Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and supplying militia groups with weapons that kill US forces in Iraq and Syria,” said Treasury Undersecretary Brian Nelson in a statement.
The sanctions prohibit the targeted individuals and businesses from transacting with Americans and restrict access to American property and bank accounts.
Geopolitical Tensions and Maritime Attacks
There are tensions between the USA, Iran, and Houthis militia, who are suspected to be behind the series of maritime attacks in the east, which have been linked to the Israel-Hamas war, as reported by Associated Press.
White House Announcement and Warning
The White House announced last week that it would provide a new sanction plan against Iran in response to its weapons sale to Russia to aid its invasion of Ukraine and warned that it would inflict another “swift” and “severe” sanction, plus it will retaliate if Iranian missiles are sold to Moscow.
