Jamshid Eshaghi

Eshaghi was born in Ahvaz, Iran on 7 July 1961. == Involvement with Sepehr Energy and affiliates ==

Eshaghi was closely linked to Sepehr Energy Jahan Nama Pars, a Tehran-based oil company identified by U.S. officials as a front for Iran's military. In fact, Sepehr Energy is described as a cover company operating on behalf of the AFGS and Iran's Ministry of Defense (MODAFL) to covertly sell Iranian oil abroad. Brigadier General Eshaghi once served as an official of Sepehr Energy and was said to have directly overseen its operations for the armed forces. An investigative report by Iran International revealed that Sepehr Energy established a network of shell companies, including subsidiaries like Sepehr Energy Hamta Pars, Sepehr Energy Jahan Nama Taban, and Sepehr Energy Paya Gostar Jahan, to mask the military's role in oil deals. These affiliates facilitated shipments of Iranian crude oil to buyers in Asia while sharing many of the same personnel with Sepehr Energy. For example, one Sepehr affiliate arranged the delivery of nearly two million barrels of Iranian crude oil to China in January 2025 alone. Internal documents and communications (exposed via Iran International) have indicated direct ties between Sepehr Energy's dealings and Iran's armed forces, including contracts bearing military guarantees for oil shipments, despite public denials by company officials. == Ties to the IRGC and oil sale operations ==

Eshaghi's activities in Sepehr's oil network brought him into cooperation with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), especially in illicit crude sales to China. According to the U.S. Treasury, Brig. Gen. Eshaghi coordinated with the IRGC on the sale of Iranian crude oil to the People's Republic of China. Eshaghi's role, liaising between the AFGS (and by extension the conventional military) and the IRGC's clandestine oil trade, positioned him as a crucial facilitator in monetizing Iranian oil outside of official channels. Eshaghi helped to integrate the armed forces' budgetary needs with the IRGC's covert export network, ensuring proceeds from "off-the-books" oil sales reached Iran's defense institutions. == International sanctions and designations ==

Eshaghi's involvement in these activities led to his designation under international sanctions, principally by the United States. On 6 February 2025, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Eshaghi as part of a major action against an Iranian oil-smuggling network. European Union authorities and the United Nations had not publicly listed Eshaghi for sanctions. The European Union has sanctioned various IRGC- and MODAFL-linked entities over the years (especially related to Iran's nuclear program and regional aggression), but Eshaghi's name does not appear in EU sanction documents to date. Nonetheless, the U.S. measures, given their extraterritorial reach, significantly limit Eshaghi's international dealings. Regional media outlets have widely covered the case; for instance, Iran's state-affiliated press condemned the U.S. sanctions as "illegitimate and unlawful" even as opposition-run media highlighted Eshaghi as the highest-ranking Iranian officer hit in that sanctions round. Western news services like Reuters and Al Jazeera framed the sanctions against Eshaghi and the Sepehr network as part of President Donald Trump's renewed "maximum pressure" campaign upon returning to office, aimed at cutting Iran's oil exports to zero and curbing funds for its missile and nuclear programs. == Death ==

On 31 March 2026, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps confirmed that Jamshid Eshaghi had been killed in an Israeli airstrike during the 2026 Iran war. == See also ==