WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Trump administration on Friday expanded its sanctions targeting Iran's oil trade and maritime networks, issuing a new Iran-related general license and updating its Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list with entities and oil tankers tied to Iran's petroleum sector.
The Iran-related General License T, issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), authorizes "limited safety and environmental transactions and the offloading of cargo involving certain persons or vessels blocked on January 23, 2026."
Meanwhile, OFAC updated its SDN list, adding multiple shipping companies and nine oil tankers in alleged links with Iran. The move is expected to effectively block their U.S. property and prohibit U.S. citizens from engaging in transactions with them.
"OFAC is targeting nine shadow fleet vessels and their respective owners or management firms that have collectively transported hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of Iranian oil and petroleum products to foreign markets," the Treasury Department said Friday in a press release.
"As previously outlined, Treasury will continue to track the tens of millions of dollars that the regime has stolen and is desperately attempting to wire to banks outside of Iran," said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on X.
The move came after a series of U.S. sanctions and other measures adopted earlier this month, seen as part of a broader U.S. effort to cut off funding streams supporting Tehran amid ongoing tensions.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that a planned 25-percent tariff on countries doing business with Iran would take effect "very soon," touting that the United States has a "massive" naval force heading toward Iran, while suggesting it may not be used.
"We have an armada. We have a massive fleet heading in that direction, and maybe we won't have to use it. We'll see," Trump told reporters on Air Force One as he returned from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Despite his tough rhetoric, including a recent call for regime change in Iran, Trump has said he remains open to negotiations.
"Iran does want to talk, and we'll talk," Trump said during his stay in Davos. ■