U.S. Targets 8 Ships and Plots Terror Charges Against Iran Operative

As negotiations to end hostilities with Iran approach their conclusion, the United States announced new sanctions aimed at the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and unsealed terrorism charges against an Iranian national. The actions appear intended to ramp up economic pressure — a primary vulnerability for Tehran — to strengthen U.S. leverage in the final stages of talks.

On the 28th (local time), Reuters reported that the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned eight vessels involved in transporting Iranian crude oil and petroleum products to global markets. The move followed, by one day, the addition of the Persian Gulf Strait Authority to the sanctions list. Iran created that authority recently to assert control over transit through the Strait of Hormuz.

OFAC’s designations include the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker Flora, the Comoros-flagged crude tanker Hunkayo, and the Panama-flagged tanker Il Gap. The U.S. also sanctioned more than 15 companies and entities, among them Hong Kong–based Worth Shin Energy Limited, Dubai-based Symphony Shipping and Maritime Management, and Hong Kong’s Mediyev Trading.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the administration also plans to sanction Iranian airlines. On social media he wrote, “We will block Iranian carriers’ access to landing sites, fuel supplies, and ticketing channels.” He did not name specific carriers. Bessent added, “We are continuing our campaign of ‘economic anger’ against the Iranian regime,” saying Iran’s economy and currency are in free fall.

The State and Justice Departments acted the same day. The State Department designated eight vessels owned or managed by companies involved in transporting Iranian oil and petrochemical products for asset freezes. It also announced additional sanctions on three companies and one individual linked to petrochemical trades. The U.S. government says proceeds from Iranian oil exports ultimately fund the IRGC’s operations.

The Justice Department charged Mohammad Baker Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, a dual Iranian-Iraqi national, with eight terrorism-related counts. U.S. prosecutors allege Al-Saadi served as a key operative for Hezbollah and the IRGC and, between March and April of this year, plotted attacks in the United States, including an attempted attack on a New York synagogue. They say he directly planned and directed roughly 18 attacks in Europe — including a drone strike on Israel’s embassy in London, an attack on a London synagogue, and the stabbing of two Jewish individuals. Authorities contend Al-Saadi attempted to order additional attacks in the U.S. on the 30th of last month and was arrested overseas the following day. The Justice Department said he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.