U.S. Imposes Comprehensive Sanctions on Iran’s Military, Cyber Operations and Illicit Oil Networks

The United States has announced sweeping sanctions targeting entities, individuals, and vessels enabling Iran’s destabilizing activities, including attacks on U.S. forces and allies in the region, illicit weapons procurement, cyber intrusions into American infrastructure, and the movement of energy products that fund terrorism globally.

The measures target Iranian military officials involved in weapons procurement and attacks against U.S. servicemembers and regional partners, Iran-based entities gathering intelligence for targeting U.S. forces, and a procurement ring supplying Iran’s military and missile programs. Additionally, a regime-directed cyber group responsible for extensive intrusions into U.S. critical infrastructure is targeted, along with a sprawling network of shippers and brokers moving Iranian petroleum and petrochemical products through the UAE, China, Singapore, and Europe to fund the U.S.-designated Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) and other regime elements.

This cyber action was carried out in close coordination with the FBI, which last week announced indictments against eight Iranian nationals tied to a hacking campaign compromising U.S. energy companies, defense contractors, healthcare institutions, and government offices at the local, state, and federal levels.

In conjunction, the Department of State’s Rewards for Justice program offered a reward of up to $10 million for information regarding five individuals conducting malicious cyber activity against U.S. critical infrastructure on behalf of the Iranian government, reflecting the seriousness with which the United States treats digital infrastructure threats and reinforcing that those who attack American systems, wherever located, will be pursued and held accountable.

The United States will continue to disrupt, expose, and dismantle Iran’s military and proliferation activities, procurement schemes, malicious cyber operations, and illicit oil trade that sustains the regime’s malign behavior. We call on the international community to join in holding these actors to account.

Source link