By Frances Martel | Breitbart
The U.S. Treasury Department announced sweeping sanctions on Tuesday against a network of corporations accused of helping Iran avoid sanctions on its oil industry by obscuring the true origin of the product.
The move followed a separate round of sanctions on Iranian citizens accused of helping Iran expand its illicit nuclear weapons program on Monday — and, notably, a fourth round of negotiations between representatives of the Iranian regime and the administration of President Donald Trump that took place on Sunday. Iranian officials have repeatedly stated the objective of the talks is to convince Washington to drop sanctions on the country so the regime, the world’s premier state sponsor of terrorism, can continue to enrich itself, while the Trump administration insists the goal is to contain Iran’s nefarious nuclear development.
In a press release on Tuesday, the Treasury explained that the sanctions are affecting “nearly two dozen firms operating in multiple jurisdictions in virtually every aspect of Iran’s illicit international oil trade.” The primary target is a firm called Sepehr Energy, which the Treasury accused of using various “front companies” to move oil and money around in a way intended to make it difficult to track Iranian oil sales and avoid the effects of American and international sanctions.