Trump’s First Iran Sanctions Hit Three Ships in China Trade

By Weilun Soon

Feb 7, 2025 (Bloomberg) –President Donald Trump’s maiden sanctions package targeting a handful of vessels carrying Iranian oil stopped short of the “maximum pressure” campaign his administration had pledged, according to shippers and analysts. 

The move, announced Thursday, affected one very-large crude carrier and two Aframaxes that the Treasury Department said helped move Iranian oil to China. It also targeted several entities and individuals across different countries that were involved in the trade, which was on behalf of Tehran’s Armed Forces General Staff and its sanctioned front company, Sepehr Energy Jahan Nama Pars. 

In the days leading up to Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, shipping executives and oil traders had been nervous about a potential b…