Trump Sanctions and Maritime Operations

The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed sanctions on 30 people, companies and ships accused of enabling Iran’s ballistic‑missile program, drone production (including Qods Aviation Industries) and illicit oil sales via a so‑called “shadow fleet” of tankers. The measures come as U.S. forces have been interdicting sanctioned tankers — including boarding the Panamanian‑flagged Veronica III in the Indian Ocean after tracking it from the Caribbean — amid a major U.S. military buildup and public threats of limited strikes while negotiators prepare for Geneva talks mediated by Oman.