US sanctions Indian nationals, companies for role in Iran's oil shipments

The US has sanctioned several Indian nationals and companies for helping Iran sell petroleum products, saying the funds support terrorist groups and threaten American interests

The Trump administration has imposed sanctions on several entities and individuals from India for their alleged involvement in the sale of Iran’s petroleum and petroleum products. According to the US government, money generated from this trade helps Tehran fund regional terrorist proxies and purchase weapons systems that “pose a direct threat” to American forces and allies, news agency PTI reported.

 

The US Departments of State and Treasury announced sanctions on shipping networks accused of helping Iran raise funds through illicit oil sales. An airline and its linked companies were also targeted for allegedly supplying and arming groups backed by Iran.

 

 

Those now on the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List include Indian nationals Zair Husain Iqbal Husain Sayed, Zulfikar Hussain Rizvi Sayed, and Maharashtra-based RN Ship Management Pvt. Ltd, and Pune-based TR6 Petro India LLP.

 

Sanctions span multiple countries

 

The State Department said it is adding 17 entities, individuals and vessels from countries such as India, Panama and Seychelles for their roles in Iran’s petroleum and petroleum products trade. At the same time, the Treasury Department is designating 41 more entities, individuals, vessels and aircraft to intensify pressure on Iran’s energy sector and disrupt its financial networks.

 

According to the State Department, revenue from these oil-related activities helps Iran “support regional terrorist proxies and procure weapons systems that pose a direct threat to US forces and American allies".   

 

India-based TR6 Petro flagged for bitumen imports

 

The administration said TR6 Petro operates as a petroleum products trader in India. Between October 2024 and June 2025, the firm allegedly imported more than $8 million worth of bitumen of Iranian origin from multiple suppliers.

 

The State Department said the company is being sanctioned for “knowingly engaging in a significant transaction” involving the purchase, acquisition, sale, transport or marketing of Iranian petroleum or petroleum products. 

 

US accuses Iran of fuelling regional tensions

 

The State Department said Iran “continues to fuel conflict in West Asia” and uses revenue from illicit oil sales for nuclear activities, support for terrorist groups and disruptions to global trade routes and navigation.

 

The US vowed to keep acting against maritime operators, “dark fleet” tankers, and traders accused of transporting Iranian crude and petroleum products. It added that these measures support National Security Presidential Memorandum 2 (NSPM-2), which calls for maximum pressure on Tehran.

 

“As long as Iran devotes revenue to funding attacks against the United States and our allies, supporting terrorism around the world, and pursuing other destabilising actions, we will use all the tools at our disposal to hold the regime accountable,” the administration said.

 

Earlier US actions hit more than 50 entities

 

In October, the US Treasury imposed sanctions on over 50 individuals, companies, and vessels tied to the export of Iranian crude oil and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Some of these entities were reportedly linked to Indian nationals.

 

“These actors have collectively enabled the export of billions of dollars’ worth of petroleum and petroleum products, providing critical revenue to the Iranian regime and its support for terrorist groups that threaten the US,” the Treasury Department had said.

 

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the department was taking steps to cut Iran’s cash flow by targeting its energy export network.   

Allegations against shipping firms with Indian ties

 

The Treasury claimed that Bertha Shipping, based in the Marshall Islands and owned by Indian national Varun Pula, operates the Comoros-flagged vessel PAMIR, which has transported nearly four million barrels of Iranian LPG to China since July 2024.

 

It also said that Evie Lines Inc, owned by Indian national Iyappan Raja, manages the Panama-flagged SAPPHIRE GAS and has allegedly moved more than one million barrels of Iranian LPG to China since April 2025.

 

Additionally, the department accused Vega Star Ship Management Pvt. Ltd, owned by Indian national Soniya Shrestha, of managing the Comoros-flagged NEPTA, which has reportedly carried Iranian LPG to Pakistan since January 2025.

 

Earlier this year, the US government sanctioned six Indian companies for allegedly engaging in transactions involving Iranian petroleum and petrochemical products.

 

(With agency inputs)