The United States has imposed sanctions on companies and individuals in India and Türkiye accused of helping Iran evade international restrictions on its oil exports and aviation sector, in a fresh move to tighten economic pressure on Tehran.
The US Department of the Treasury said the sanctions target what it described as a “vast criminal network” allegedly operated by Suniel Kumar Sharma and his wife, Jaspreet Preeti Shahid, from Chandigarh, northern India.
Two other Indian nationals who headed businesses linked to the couple, alongside nine entities associated with Sharma, were also placed under sanctions.
According to the Treasury, the couple falsely presented themselves as representatives of maritime authorities in countries including Guyana, Eswatini and Laos, issuing fraudulent ship flags and certification documents that enabled sanctioned tankers transporting Iranian oil to continue operating.
Some of the vessels allegedly provided services to Iran’s military and its allied groups.
The department said the scheme had been operating since at least 2014, using websites designed to resemble official national ship registries to deceive shipping operators and facilitate the movement of Iranian oil.
In a separate action, the Treasury sanctioned Türkiye-based Fugo Ground Services for allegedly providing ground-handling and other services to several US-sanctioned Iranian airlines operating in the country, including Iran Air Tour and Saha Airlines.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control also issued a warning to shipping companies about the legal and financial risks of conducting business with vessels operating under fraudulent flags.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington would continue pursuing individuals and organisations providing financial or logistical support to Tehran.
The sanctions freeze any assets held by the targeted individuals and entities within US jurisdiction and generally prohibit American individuals and businesses from conducting transactions with them.
The measures fall under the Trump administration’s ‘Operation Economic Outcast’, a campaign designed to cut off oil revenues that Washington says Iran uses to finance its war effort.
The Treasury claimed last week that the pressure campaign had contributed to the Iranian rial falling to fresh lows, with inflation reaching approximately 90 per cent.
The latest sanctions came a day after Democrats secured control of both chambers of Congress in the US midterm elections, adding another political dimension to Washington’s increasingly aggressive approach towards Tehran.
