The United States has imposed a new wave of sanctions targeting companies and individuals in the United Arab Emirates and Türkiye, escalating its economic warfare against the Islamic Republic of Iran under the pretext of disrupting weapons procurement and oil trade. The US Department of the Treasury announced the measures on February 25, 2026, blacklisting more than 30 individuals, entities and vessels allegedly connected to Iran's ballistic missile programs and what Washington pejoratively labels the "shadow fleet" transporting Iranian petroleum products. This latest action represents yet another chapter in America's relentless campaign to strangle Iran's economy and deprive the Iranian people of their sovereign right to engage in international commerce.
The "Shadow Fleet" Narrative
The US State Department's statement, issued by Principal Deputy Spokesperson Thomas "Tommy" Pigott, alleges that the sanctions target "multiple weapons procurement networks based in Iran, Türkiye, and the United Arab Emirates supporting the Iranian regime's ballistic missile and advanced conventional weapons (ACW) development". Simultaneously, the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control designated numerous vessels described as operating in Iran's so-called "shadow fleet", a characterization Iranian officials reject as part of Washington's broader propaganda campaign to delegitimize legitimate trade activities.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in announcing the measures, employed the familiar rhetoric of the "maximum pressure" campaign, claiming that "Iran exploits financial systems to sell illicit oil, launder the proceeds, procure components for its nuclear and conventional weapons programs, and support its terrorist proxies". Bessent further declared that "under President Trump's leadership, Treasury will continue to put maximum pressure on Iran to target the regime's weapons capabilities and support for terrorism, which it has prioritized over the lives of the Iranian people".
Iran's Categorical Rejection of US Allegations
Iranian officials have vigorously dismissed Washington's accusations as baseless and part of a coordinated psychological warfare campaign aimed at justifying illegal sanctions that violate international law and the rights of the Iranian nation. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei stated unequivocally: "Whatever [the US is] alleging in regards to Iran's nuclear program, Iran's ballistic missiles, and the number of casualties during January's unrest is simply the repetition of big lies".
This latest round of sanctions specifically targets networks that Washington claims enable Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL) to "secure precursor chemicals, sensitive machinery and other materials necessary to rebuild Iran's ballistic missile production capabilities and expand its ACW programs". Among the sanctioned entities are Oje Parvaz Mado Nafar Company, which the US claims produces engines for Iran's Shahed series unmanned aerial vehicles, and several Turkish companies accused of acting as financial intermediaries for procurement activities.
Washington's Web
The sanctions sweep has ensnared numerous companies operating in Türkiye and the UAE, reflecting Washington's determination to pressure regional trading partners into severing commercial ties with Iran. Turkish petrochemical traders Diako and Starex were designated for allegedly importing millions of dollars worth of Iranian-origin petrochemical products. UAE-based entities including Manarat Alkhaleej Marine Services FZE and Mphasis Marine Solutions FZE were also blacklisted for their role in managing vessels accused of transporting Iranian petroleum and petrochemical products.
The State Department's action builds on a pattern of sanctions announced earlier in February, when Washington targeted 14 "shadow fleet" vessels and 15 entities involved in trading Iranian crude oil, petroleum products, and petrochemicals. That previous round of sanctions was issued pursuant to Executive Order 13846, which authorizes sanctions related to Iran's energy sector.
A Coordinated Campaign
These sanctions come at a moment of extreme tension in the region, with two US aircraft carrier strike groups deployed near Iranian waters and Washington openly threatening military action if negotiations over Iran's nuclear program fail to produce a outcome acceptable to American demands. President Trump, in his recent State of the Union address, made the baseless claim that Iran is "probably a week away from having industrial-grade bomb-making material" and alleged that Tehran has developed missiles capable of striking US bases in Europe and the Middle East.
Iran has consistently maintained that its nuclear program is exclusively peaceful and that its missile development is a matter of national security and sovereign right. The Islamic Republic has repeatedly declared its readiness to engage in serious negotiations on an equal footing, without the shadow of threats and illegal sanctions that constitute a violation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and multiple UN Security Council resolutions.
The Real Target
The underlying objective of these sanctions is transparent: to deprive the Iranian nation of its legitimate right to engage in international commerce and to develop its defensive capabilities free from foreign dictation. By targeting companies in the UAE and Türkiye, Washington seeks to intimidate regional partners into complying with its unilateral and extra-territorial sanctions regime, which has been universally condemned as a violation of international law and the sovereignty of independent nations.
As the Treasury Department itself acknowledges, more than 875 "persons, vessels, and aircraft" linked to Iran have been sanctioned since the Trump administration's "maximum pressure" campaign resumed in 2025. This relentless assault on Iran's economy has caused immense suffering to ordinary Iranians, exacerbating inflation, disrupting access to medicine and essential goods, and constituting a form of economic warfare that human rights experts have condemned as collective punishment.