The incoming second Trump Administration has reignited interest in the "Maximum Pressure" campaign on Iran, signaling intentions to further limit the Iranian regime’s oil exports and its financial resources. While these actions aim to curb Iran’s destabilizing influence, the persistence and expansion of illicit networks—operating under the guise of the "Dark Fleet"—underscore the ongoing challenges to enforcement.

As the war between Hezbollah and Israel is still ongoing, international mediators, led by the U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein, are trying to lay the groundwork for a ceasefire agreement. The operating assumption is that the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) is going to play a critical role in any such agreement that will dictate the nature of the next phase in the bilateral relationship between Israel and Lebanon. 

Since the brutal October 7 attack by Iran-backed Hamas, the Biden Administration has noticeably ramped up sanctions on “Ghost Fleet” tankers. As of October 28, 2024, a total of 98 tankers were sanctioned during the preceding twelve months. 

A month has passed since Israel abandoned its containment policy towards Hezbollah's attacks over the past year and went on the offense against the organization. By now, Israel has decapitated most of Hezbollah's leadership and caused significant damage to the organization's advanced and long-range weapons capabilities.

On September 25, the United States slapped more sanctions on entities and individuals connected to Iran's petroleum sector—by far the regime’s most important financial lifeline. The U.S.

What might come next for Israel — and the U.S. — in wake of Iranian attack

"After Iran rained ballistic missiles on Israel on Tuesday for the second time in sixth months, the focus now turns to the question of what comes n

Israelis take cover as missiles launched from Iran

"Israel says Iran has fired missiles at its cities. Loud explosions were heard across Israel as it apparently intercepted incoming projectiles.

As the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel has continued for close to a year, the U.N. Security Council recently renewed the mandate of the U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon or UNIFIL) for another year. The contradiction between the text approved in the U.N., and the reality on the ground could not have been more staggering, as keeping, or more likely reestablishing calm along the Israeli-Lebanese border seems far beyond the capabilities of UNIFIL. 

Over a week has passed since Hezbollah’s response to the Israeli targeted killing of Fuad Shukr, the organization’s top military commander. As the dust settles down, there are several takeaways from the event that brought Israel and Hezbollah to the closest point of an all-out war since the October 7 massacre by Hamas. 

On August 7, Israel’s National Bureau for Counter-Terror Financing (NBCTF), part of the Ministry of Defense, sanctioned 18 tankers for their involvement in the illicit trade of Iranian oil, marking Israel’s first-ever shipping sanctions.  Several of the vessels—with a total deadweight of almost 1.88 million tons—were engaged in “dark” (i.e., transponder-disabled) ship-to-ship (STS) transfers with another U.S.-sanctioned vessel off the Syrian coast. According to Israeli officials, these oil sales were likely overseen by the IRGC-Quds Force.