The Treasury Department said Monday it is sanctioning 12 persons or entities for their roles in helping Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps sell and ship oil to China.
The Treasury said these sales of oil to China facilitate a system in which the IRGC uses “front companies” to raise money for the regime in Tehran.
“Instead of using this revenue to support the struggling Iranian people, the regime directs it toward weapons development, backing terrorist proxies, and funding security forces that suppress citizens’ freedoms,” the department said.
The sanctions coincide with a war of words between U.S. and Iranian leaders, after President Trump rejected Tehran’s peace proposal.
The announcement also comes one day before Mr. Trump departs for Beijing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The sanctions are part of a broader Operation Economic Fury that includes a blockade of Iranian ports.
The blockade is making it difficult for Iran to export oil and causing its currency to fall to new lows.
The U.S. military is aggressively enforcing the blockade by forcing ships to turn around or, in some instances, disabling ships through firepower.
