The United States (US) imposed sanctions today on a fleet of nine ships and their owners accused of transporting banned Iranian oil to foreign markets.
The sanctions are being imposed for "turning off internet access to cover up abuses" by Iran against its citizens during its crackdown on protests across the country, the US Treasury Department said.
The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control said the nine targeted ships, flying the flags of Palau, Panama and other countries, were part of a "secret fleet," a network of older ships used to transport goods subject to international sanctions, particularly from Russia and Iran.
"They are targeting a key component of how Iran generates funds that are used to repress its own people," said US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant.
The goal of US sanctions is to prevent affected Iranians from doing business with Americans or accessing US bank accounts.
US President Donald Trump called the group an "armada" and added that Washington was moving its ships towards Iran "just in case".
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Trump has repeatedly boasted that his threats to Iran have prevented the execution of more than 800 people, a claim that the country's attorney general today dismissed as "completely false."
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