By : Magdy Sadek
Have the individuals, countries, financial institutions, and giant corporations subject to US sanctions united into a militia whose members and entities are working to pass these sanctions and operate in the dark, especially in the field of shipping industry and oil smuggling vessels?!
Hideous financial networks
Complex and hideous financial networks in Iran’s shipping industry to circumvent US sanctions were used by Ayatollah Khamenei’s advisor Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani !
The United States recently imposed sanctions on 18 entities and individuals targeting a network that helps Iran evade sanctions and generate revenue, the Treasury Department said.
The Network !
The Treasury Department said in a statement that the US sanctions list includes RUNC Banking and its leadership, Cyrus Offshore Bank, and Pasargad Ariane Information and Communications Technology Holding Company.
The US ministry released
The US ministry added in a press release that Iran, under severe financial constraints resulting from international isolation, has developed complex banking schemes and alternative payment messaging systems specifically designed to evade sanctions and protect its ability to collect export revenues, particularly from oil sales, which it described as “illicit.”
The largest Iran-related sanctions
On July 30, 2025, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed the largest Iran-related sanctions since 2018, targeting a vast shipping network controlled by Iranian businessman Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani. This action covers 115 targets, including 73 entities and 62 vessels, spanning various global jurisdictions.
22 container ships
22 container ships were sanctioned, with 18 of them being operated by SeaLead Shipping, an international shipping company.The remaining 4 vessels are operated by Reel Shipping LLC (UAE) and Vuxx Shipping Pte. Ltd. (Singapore).The vessels have been linked to a complex web of offshore companies, shipping routes, and financial activities facilitating sanctions evasion and the ongoing export of Iranian oil.
SeaLead password !
SeaLead has a concentrated management structure, with Reel Shipping LLC and Neptoria Ship Management handling commercial and technical management for most of these vessels.
Chinese leasing companies
Many of the ships are financially backed by Chinese leasing companies, such as Bank of Communications Financial Leasing Co., Ltd. (BOCOM Leasing) and Zhejiang Zheyin Financial Leasing Co., Ltd., highlighting the global financial interconnectivity in the shipping industry.
The global supply chain.
Despite flying flags from third-party countries and being registered in offshore jurisdictions, these vessels remain deeply entangled in the global supply chain.
International compliance risks
Financial institutions, leasing companies, and ports must conduct thorough background checks to avoid involvement in international compliance risks especially Chinese financial leasing companies have been identified as providing financial support for the vessels, and ports such as Zhoushan Jinrun Petroleum Transfer Co., Ltd. in China are named in the sanctions.
The list includes notable vessels like the “Ace”, “Gauja”, “Star”, and many others, which are essential to tracking these complex operations.
Avoid Sanctions violations
As global sanctions and regulatory frameworks tighten, shipping companies, port operators, and financial institutions need to prioritize compliance to avoid facing indirect exposure to risks related to sanctions violations.
The question that arises
The question that arises is: Will American or European sanctions achieve the desired goal in light of the growth of shadow fleets and these dark financial networks?!
Related : Magdy Sadek :American Gorilla Wrestling the Chinese Dragon’
