The U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday added 27 Iranian airlines to its sanctions list along with a handful of other entities, deepening Washington’s campaign to isolate Iran’s economy amid a more than six-month war with Tehran. The action falls under a designation the department is calling Operation Economic Outcast and covers Iranian airlines that had not previously been subject to sanctions.
The financial move came against a backdrop of intensified clashes in the Strait of Hormuz, a shipping corridor through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply moves during peacetime. U.S. forces struck three Iranian oil tankers on Saturday. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced strikes of its own, saying it hit three tankers and three U.S.-linked vessels in other areas.
Energy prices reflected the tension. On Monday, Brent crude, the global benchmark, traded near $97 a barrel, up 9% over five days and 19% over the past month. West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. benchmark, rose 79 cents to $92.27 a barrel. Both benchmarks approached their highest levels since July 24, when Brent topped $97.93. Saudi Aramco’s Jizan facilities were struck for the second time in a month.
Iran-aligned militants in Yemen have added to the pressure by attacking multiple energy facilities in Saudi Arabia, forcing a temporary halt to some operations. The pattern of maritime and infrastructure strikes has drawn additional countries into the conflict’s economic reach and continues to lift global energy prices.
The escalating economic measures form part of a wider U.S. strategy targeting Iran’s connections to the global financial system, with sanctioned entities and their commercial counterparties both exposed to secondary penalties. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is the administration official signing off on the airline designations.
On the military side, Iran has publicized improvements to its ballistic missile arsenal in recent days and has signaled a posture of preemptive action against perceived threats. The developments continue to expand the confrontation despite mounting economic pressure on Iran’s currency, aviation sector and energy infrastructure.
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