OFAC Sanctions Chinese Companies, Others Shipping Machinery to Iran
The Office of Foreign Assets Control last week sanctioned a network of companies and a vessel for helping to ship sensitive machinery to Iran, including from China.
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The designations target Hong Kong-based Unico Shipping Co Ltd, whose vessel, the Panama-flagged Shun Kai Xing, was carrying the machinery for previously sanctioned Iranian firm Rayan Roshd Afzar Company and newly sanctioned Towse Sanaye Nim Resanaye Tarashe, an Iranian company controlled by Rayan Roshd Afzar executives. OFAC said the vessel was carrying sensitive goods bound for Iran as recently as late last year.
The agency also sanctioned China-based Futech Co Limited for shipping the items that were to be sent on board the vessel, and China-based Dongguan Zanyin Machinery and Equipment Co Ltd also shipped items to be sent to Rayan Roshd Afzar. Hong Kong-based Athena Shipping Co Ltd has been the operator and ship manager of the Shun Kai Xing since April 2024, and Singapore-based V-Shipping PTE LTD was the charterer of the vessel for the shipment to Iran.
OFAC also sanctioned China-based Shenzhen Xinxin Shipping Co Ltd for being “directly involved in the coordination of the cargo” destined to sanctioned companies, and it designated Chinese national Zhang Yanbang for being the shipmaster of the Shun Kai Xing. It also designated Turkey-based Edisa Dis Ticaret Limited Sirketi for helping to “obfuscate” that the cargo in one of the bills-of-lading was consigned to Rayan Roshd Afzar.