XARON

The tanker is affiliated with the sanctioned shipping company Xante Line Inc (Marshall Islands), which was designated by the United States on July 30, 2025, for providing material assistance, sponsorship, or financial, material, or technological support, as well as goods or services, to or in support of Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani.
Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani is the son of Ali Shamkhani, the chief political advisor to Iran’s supreme leader. Leveraging his father’s political influence, Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani has corrupted senior Iranian regime officials to build and operate a vast fleet of tankers and container ships. This fleet transports oil and petroleum products from Iran and russia, as well as other cargoes, to customers worldwide, generating tens of billions of dollars in profit.
His shipping network comprises a large fleet of vessels, ship management companies, and front companies that launder billions of dollars in proceeds from the global sale of Iranian and russian crude oil and petroleum products, primarily to buyers in the People’s Republic of China. The network takes extensive measures to conceal its operations and obscure its connections to the Shamkhani family, Iran, and russia.
The United States imposed sanctions on the vessel on July 30, 2025.