The United States has imposed sanctions on a global network facilitating the transport of millions of barrels of Iranian crude oil to China, according to a Marine Insight report. This network operates on behalf of Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff (AFGS) and its sanctioned front company, Sepehr Energy Jahan Nama Pars (Sepehr Energy), the US Treasury Department said.
The sanctions target multiple entities and individuals across China, India, and the UAE, along with several vessels involved in the illicit oil trade. The Treasury Department alleges Iran generates billions of dollars annually from these oil sales, funds it uses to support destabilizing regional groups like Hamas, Hizballah, and the Houthis.
“Iran’s government uses oil revenues to develop its nuclear program, produce ballistic missiles and drones, and finance regional terrorist proxy groups,” stated Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. “The U.S. will aggressively target any financial sources that Iran uses to fund these activities.” The sanctions were implemented under Executive Orders 13224 and 13902, which authorize restrictions on key sectors of Iran’s economy.
Sepehr Energy, already designated by the US Treasury in November 2023 for supporting Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (sanctioned in 2019), and its affiliates operate under AFGS, employing deceptive practices to conceal the Iranian origin of the crude oil.
Among the vessels identified is the Comoros-flagged oil tanker ANTHEA (now renamed SIRI), currently off Singapore and carrying millions of barrels of Iranian crude. The vessel is operating under the false name NEW PRIME to avoid detection. Iranian national Arash Lavian, the ship’s master, has been sanctioned for falsifying shipping documents and concealing the vessel’s true identity. The SIRI has also been added to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List.
India-based Marshal Ship Management Private Ltd, with offices in the UAE and the Philippines, provided crew members for the SIRI and other Sepehr Energy-linked vessels, including the BOREAS, ELSA, and HEBE. These crew members participated in the falsification of shipping documents. Marshal Ship Management and its director, Indian national Ryan Xavier Aranha, have been sanctioned for their support of Sepehr Energy’s illicit operations.
Sanctioned Sepehr Energy official Elyas Niroomand Toomaj continues to manage these illegal oil shipments. In December 2024, Sepehr Energy shipped nearly 2 million barrels of Iranian heavy crude oil (valued at over $100 million) to China aboard the Cameroon-flagged OXIS, owned by Seychelles-based Miletus Line Ltd. Similarly, the Panama-flagged GIOIOSA, owned by Hong Kong-based Gozoso Group, transported over 700,000 barrels of Iranian oil to China. Hong Kong-based Ocean Dolphin Ship Management managed the GIOIOSA, while Kazakhstan-based Umbra Navi Ship Management Corp handled the OXIS. Miletus Line, Gozoso Group, Ocean Dolphin Ship Management, and Umbra Navi have now been sanctioned, and the OXIS and GIOIOSA have been identified as blocked properties.
AFGS Brigadier General Jamshid Eshaghi oversees Sepehr Energy’s operations and previously coordinated oil sales to China with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Sepehr Energy owns several Iran-based subsidiaries involved in oil exports, including Sepehr Energy Hamta Pars, Sepehr Energy Paya Gostar Jahan, and Sepehr Energy Jahan Nama Taban.
