Reuters WASHINGTON

The US Treasury Department announced fresh sanctions on Wednesday on over 115 Iran-linked individuals, entities and vessels, in a sign the Trump administration is doubling down on its "maximum pressure" campaign after bombing Tehran's key nuclear sites in June.

The sanctions broadly target the shipping interests of Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, the son of Ali Shamkhani, who is himself an adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The US Treasury said it was the most significant Iran-related sanctions action since 2018, during President Donald Trump's first administration. According to Treasury, Shamkhani controls a vast network of container ships and tankers through a complex web of intermediaries that sell Iranian and Russian oil and other goods throughout the world.

Treasury accused Shamkhani of using personal connections and corruption in Tehran to generate tens of billions of dollars in profits, much of which is used to prop up the Iranian regime. Overall, the new sanctions target 15 shipping firms, 52 vessels, 12 individuals and 53 entities involved in sanctions evasion in 17 countries, ranging from Panama to Italy to Hong Kong.

A US official said the new sanctions would make it "much more difficult" for Iran to sell its oil, but added that the administration did not anticipate any sustained disruption to global oil markets. The European Union sanctioned Shamkhani earlier in July, citing his role in the Russian oil trade. A US official said that Wednesday's action would impact both Russia and Iran.