Specially Designated Nationals (SDN)
OFAC list of individuals and entities barred from US financial system; 9 tankers added 15 April 2026.
Last refreshed: 21 April 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
If nine tankers were just added to the SDN list, how are Chinese sanctioned tankers still transiting Hormuz?
Timeline for Specially Designated Nationals (SDN)
Mentioned in: OFAC named India three days before IRGC fire
Iran Conflict 2026- What is the OFAC SDN list and what happens if a ship is added to it?
- The SDN list freezes US-jurisdiction assets and bars US persons from transacting with designated parties. SDN-listed ships cannot be chartered, insured through most P&I Clubs, or handled by US-linked ports.
- How many Iranian tankers were sanctioned by OFAC in April 2026?
- Nine tankers were added to the SDN list on 15 April 2026 as part of the action targeting the Shamkhani Iranian oil-smuggling network.Source: US Treasury OFAC
Background
The Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list is the primary instrument of US Treasury sanctions enforcement, maintained by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Individuals, organisations, and vessels on the SDN list have their US-jurisdiction assets frozen, and US persons are prohibited from transacting with them. Designation on the SDN list is effectively exclusion from the global dollar-denominated financial system.
On 15 April 2026, OFAC added nine tankers to the SDN list as part of the "Economic Fury" action targeting the Shamkhani Iranian oil-smuggling network, alongside two Indian nationals and three corporate entities. SDN-listed tankers cannot be chartered, insured through P&I Clubs with US exposure, or handled by US-linked ports and service providers, effectively stranding them from mainstream shipping markets.
The SDN list has been used extensively in the 2026 Iran conflict to enforce the Hormuz blockade's economic dimension. However, CENTCOM has maintained a carve-out allowing US-sanctioned Chinese tankers to transit Hormuz unchallenged, illustrating that SDN listing and naval enforcement operate on separate tracks with different geopolitical calculations.
