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Iran said the barrage was retaliation for a series of
devastating blows Israel has landed in recent weeks against the
Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon, which has been
firing rockets into Israel since the war in Gaza began.
Included in Friday's sanctions are blocks on Iran's so-called
“ghost fleet” of ships and associated firms that span the United
Arab Emirates, Liberia, Hong Kong and other jurisdictions that
allegedly obfuscate and transport Iranian oil for sale to buyers
in Asia.
Additionally, the U.S. State Department designated a network of
companies based in Suriname, India, Malaysia and Hong Kong for
allegedly arranging for the sale and transport of petroleum and
petroleum products from Iran.
Current U.S. law authorizes sanctions targeting Iran’s energy
sector as well as foreign firms that buy sell and transport
Iranian oil. But energy sanctions are often a delicate issue as
restricting supplies could push up prices for global commodities
that the U.S. and its allies need.
Jake Sullivan, the U.S. national security advise, said the new
sanctions “will help further deny Iran financial resources used
to support its missile programs and provide support for
terrorist groups that threaten the United States, its allies,
and partners.”
The penalties aim to block them from using the U.S. financial
system and bar American citizens from dealing with them.
Israel and Iran have fought a shadow war for years, but rarely
have they come into direct conflict. Increasingly, however,
escalating attacks between Israel and Iran and its Arab allies
threaten to push the Middle East closer to a regional war.
Iran launched another direct attack on Israel in April, but few
of its projectiles reached their targets. Many were shot down by
a U.S.-led coalition while others apparently failed at launch or
crashed in flight.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Friday that the United
States "will not hesitate to take further action to hold Iran
accountable.”
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