The US Department of the Treasury on Wednesday sanctioned 22 entities for facilitating the sale of Iranian oil.

The Treasury said in a statement it is “designating 22 entities based in Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Türkiye for their roles in facilitating the sale of Iranian oil that benefits the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF).”

The Treasury accused the IRGC-QF of using front companies abroad and offshore accounts to transfer hundreds of millions of dollars from Iranian oil sales, bypassing sanctions and funding its activities.

It explained that refineries purchasing Iranian oil transfer payments to front companies, which then move the funds to other IRGC-QF-controlled accounts, with Iran using the proceeds to finance its weapons programs and support proxies across the Middle East.

Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said Tehran “relies heavily on its shadow banking system to fund its destabilizing nuclear and ballistic missile weapons programs, rather than for the benefit of the Iranian people.”

Since Donald Trump took office, the United States has sanctioned entities and individuals linked to Iran for leveraging these networks to finance its nuclear and missile programs. Last month, the Treasury Department also sanctioned more than 30 individuals and entities in Iran.

The future of nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran remains unclear with no scheduled rounds. Israeli attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities began on June 13 and continued for days. The US intervened by striking three Iranian nuclear sites, claiming they were “totally obliterated” to halt Iran’s nuclear program. This was followed by a declared “complete and total ceasefire” between Israel and Iran.

The US administration has indicated readiness to resume six rounds of talks, while Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said yesterday that Tehran has not requested a meeting with US officials to restart nuclear negotiations.