Buried among the many executive actions taken in the first three weeks of the new Trump administration is a Feb. 5 memo, signed by Attorney General Pam Bondi, that must have Russian, Chinese, and even Iranian officials cheering.

According to the state department, the sanctions target a network that is bringing “illicit revenue to the Iranian military” through a front company, Sepehr Energy. Also included are a shadow tanker fleet and management companies that facilitate the supply of oil to China,