The US on Friday imposed new sanctions against Iran, aimed at Tehran's "shadow fleet" of oil tankers, amid the country's deadly crackdown on civilians protesting against the government.
Washington's latest measures affect nine vessels linked to Iran's so-called shadow fleet, used to ship oil in breach of international sanctions to help finance the regime and its security forces.
The US Treasury Department said the vessels and their respective owners or management firms have collectively transported hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of Iranian petroleum and petroleum products to foreign markets.
“Today’s sanctions target a critical component of how Iran generates the funds used to repress its own people,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.
“The Iranian regime is engaged in a ritual of economic self-immolation – a process that has been accelerated by President Trump’s maximum pressure campaign.”
The Treasury Department said the funds belong to the Iranian people and are supposed to cover basic economic services demanded by civilians, but are instead being diverted to fund Iran's regional proxies, weapons programmes and security services.
“Tehran’s decision to support terrorists over its own people has caused Iran's currency and living conditions to be in free fall,” Mr Bessent said.
The verified death toll currently stands at 5,002 – including 4,714 protesters – according to most recent figures from the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (Hrana). However that number is expected to increase, with the group reviewing nearly 10,000 more deaths. The group said more than 26,000 arrests have been made.
A UN fact-finding mission said the protest crackdown is the largest since the 1979 revolution.
Earlier on Friday, UN human rights chief Volker Turk said thousands of people, including children, had been killed amid Iran's protest crackdown.
Iran has accused Israel and the US of backing “armed terrorists”, whom it has blamed for many civilian deaths and those of security forces. State media has reported that 3,000 people were killed.
President Donald Trump had repeatedly threatened to intervene against Iran over its protest crackdown, but cooled his rhetoric last week after he was told that “the killing has stopped”.
On Thursday, Mr Trump said the US was sending a fleet of ships towards Iran.
Oil prices rose following his comments with Brent, the global benchmark for crude, up 2.62 per cent at $65.74 a barrel as of 9.18pm UAE time. West Texas Intermediate, which tracks US crude, was up 2.68 per cent at $60.94 per barrel.
