US imposes new sanctions on Irans shipping network selling oil and offers reward of $15 million for info that disrupts the operations

The United States has imposed new sanctions on Irans complex and extensive shipping that it uses to sell oil, and the U.S. will pay $15 million to anyone with information that disrupts the scheme. The reward could be rendered to individuals living within or outside the United States.

The Treasury Department placed sanctions on 26 individuals and “entities” affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force. The sanctions freeze any assets within the United States concerning those individuals or corporations affiliated with the shipping network. It also prevents them from doing business with Americans. It also identified 11 ships, placing anyone who owns or operates them on a Treasury list and exposing any port that lets them in, or firms that fuel or offload them, to future sanctions.

 Rostam Ghasemi, Iran’s former minister of petroleum oversees and operates the network.

Individuals with knowledge of anyone involved in assisting the oil shipping operation of Iran could also become whistleblowers under The False Claims Act (FCA) whether they reside inside or outside the U.S. This law would allow individuals with specific and unique information about such involvement to receive a reward of up to 30% of what the Government recovers from the monetary sanctions imposed. International whistleblowers aware of violations of US sanction against Iran have been revealing information to the Government in accordance with the requirements of the False Claims Act.  Jeffrey Newman represents whistleblowers in the US and those living outside the US.