The Return of Maximum: What U.S. Sanctions on Iran Mean for Your Business

Over a three-month span, the Trump administration announced more than a dozen rounds of sanctions, targeting over 250 entities, individuals, and vessels linked to the Government of Iran and the global networks that move its oil, money, and technology. Recent rounds of sanctions targeted key foreign procurement and supply networks for ballistic missiles, drone components, and shipping, underscoring Washington’s “maximum pressure” campaign intent to cut off resources fueling Tehran’s military and nuclear weapons programs.

U.S. sanctions in the early months of the new administration targeted:

• Chinese “teapot” refineries, UAE and Turkish petrochemical traders, and port operators in China.
• Financial brokers and tanker operators in India, Hong Kong, Panama, and Malaysia that move Iranian crude and LPG.
• Financial facilitators that route hundreds of millions of dollars of Iranian oil proceeds through foreign banks.
• Hong Kong front companies sourcing Western technology for Iran’s drone and missile programs.
• Iranian and Chinese facilitators procuring missile propellant ingredients for the IRGC. 

As these actions escalate, they signal a sharpened U.S. focus on the global enablers of Iran’s military and financial operations, raising new questions for compliance teams navigating complex, cross-border risk.

The program focuses on: 

• What’s new in the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” 2.0 approach 
• How U.S. agencies are targeting Iranian oil sales and financial facilitators
• The role of foreign intermediaries and emerging enforcement risks

Speakers:

Nick Grothaus, Vice President of Research, Kharon

Nick leads Kharon's research initiatives focused on disinformation, conflict media, and commercial due diligence. Nick has over eight years of experience conducting and managing research into foreign information operations, terrorist support networks, and illicit finance issues. Nick holds an M.A. in Security Studies from Georgetown University and a B.A. in International Relations with a minor in Russian Studies from the University of Colorado.

Alexis Nicholson, Director of Research, Response, Kharon

Alexis has nearly a decade of experience investigating procurement networks. She holds a graduate degree in Modern Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Oxford and a B.A. in Political Science from George Washington University.