US slaps sanctions on firms of four countries over Mahan Air, IRGC ties

The United States imposed fresh sanctions on six entities and individuals across China, India, Russia and Iran, accusing them of providing material, logistical and commercial support to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its designated airline, Mahan Air.

The US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced the measures on Thursday (July 30), saying they were aimed at dismantling the international network that keeps Mahan Air's operations running despite years of Western sanctions.

According to the Treasury, Mahan Air — though presented publicly as a civilian carrier — has long served as a critical conduit for the IRGC, transporting Quds Force personnel, facilitating military training, and moving unmanned aerial vehicle systems and weapons on the group's behalf. The airline was first designated by OFAC in October 2011 over its ties to the Quds Force, which was itself designated in 2007.

Among those newly sanctioned is Shanghai-based Shanghai Wings International Logistics Co, accused of acting as a general sales agent for Mahan Air and coordinating shipments of electronics from China to Iran. Its managing director, Chinese national Tang Xin, was also designated for arranging travel for the airline; he additionally holds a 50 percent stake in Shanghai Elite International Travel Co, another Shanghai firm representing Mahan Air in China, which was designated for being under his control.

India-based Skiez Travels and Logistics Private Limited and Russia-based Air Cargo Pro Limited were designated for serving as Mahan Air's general sales agents in their respective countries. OFAC also blacklisted DadeNegar Startup Studio, an Iran-based front company linked to the IRGC that Treasury said has supported Iran's intelligence-gathering on the positioning of American and Israeli military assets and aided Iranian military targeting during the ongoing conflict.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement that those offering commercial, logistical or financial backing to the IRGC or Mahan Air "are helping sustain a terrorist enterprise," vowing that Washington would continue escalating economic pressure on Tehran.

The action was taken under Executive Order 13224, as amended, and in furtherance of National Security Presidential Memorandum 2 (NSPM-2), which directs US agencies to cut off the IRGC's access to assets and resources supporting its activities.

Thursday's designations follow a parallel round of sanctions rolled out a day earlier, on Wednesday, targeting eight oil tankers and 10 corporate entities, six of them based in China. Treasury said several of the firms sanctioned this week were linked to an IRGC-backed scheme dubbed "Hormuz Safe," under which commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz were forced to purchase mandatory maritime "insurance" from Iran's state insurance regulator — proceeds from which were funneled to fund regime operations. OFAC has designated more than 100 vessels since January as part of the broader campaign.

Under US law, the sanctions freeze any assets the designated individuals and entities hold within US jurisdiction and bar American citizens and companies from transacting with them. Foreign banks or firms that continue doing business with the sanctioned parties also risk exposure to secondary sanctions.

Mahan Air has previously denied Washington's allegations, calling them politically motivated. There was no immediate response from Iranian authorities to Thursday's designations.