US Sanctions UAE-Based Indian National and Four Firms Over Alleged Involvement in Iran’s Oil Trade
Washington, D.C., April 12, 2025 — In a significant escalation of its efforts to curtail Iran’s sanctioned oil trade, the United States government has announced fresh sanctions against Jugwinder Singh Brar, an Indian national based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and four of his associated companies. The action, spearheaded by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), alleges that Brar and his firms are active participants in the clandestine transportation and trade of Iranian crude oil and petroleum products.
According to the OFAC statement, Brar owns a network of shipping companies that collectively control a fleet of nearly 30 vessels. Many of these tankers are alleged to be part of Iran’s so-called “shadow fleet”—a term used to describe a growing network of unregulated vessels that facilitate the illicit oil trade from sanctioned nations like Iran, Russia, and Venezuela.
Brar’s four sanctioned firms include two India-based companies—Global Tankers and B and P Solutions, both headquartered in Chandigarh—and two UAE-registered firms, Prime Tankers and Glory International. These companies, the U.S. claims, are central to a web of logistics and shipping operations that have directly benefited the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) and the Iranian military.
The U.S. Treasury alleges that Brar’s fleet has been instrumental in transporting Iranian oil through high-risk ship-to-ship (STS) transfers, often carried out in the waters of Iraq, Iran, the UAE, and the Gulf of Oman. These transfers are a key method used by sanctions evaders to obscure the origin of oil shipments. According to the U.S. government, once transferred, the cargo is mixed with oil from other countries and false documentation is created to mask its Iranian origin.
In its statement, OFAC emphasized that such operations are part of a larger network involving shell companies, clandestine smuggling operations, offshore blending, and forged shipping manifests—all of which are intended to deceive international regulators and buyers.
“The Iranian regime relies on its network of unscrupulous shippers and brokers like Brar and his companies to enable its oil sales and finance its destabilizing activities,” said Scott Bessent, U.S. Treasury Secretary. “The United States remains focused on disrupting all elements of Iran’s oil exports, particularly those who seek to profit from this trade.”
Further complicating the matter is OFAC’s claim that Brar coordinated with alleged Iran-backed financier Sa’id al-Jamal, a known associate of the Yemen-based Houthi militia. Al-Jamal has long been on the radar of U.S. intelligence and law enforcement for financing operations that support armed insurgencies and destabilize the region.
The Treasury’s announcement links Brar’s shipping enterprises to this broader geopolitical network of illicit finance and oil smuggling—indicating that the operations are not merely commercial but may also have implications for regional security and U.S. foreign policy.
The two India-based companies, Global Tankers and B and P Solutions, have a shared registered address in Chandigarh, according to filings in India’s Registrar of Companies (RoC). Efforts by Indian media outlets, including The Indian Express, to contact these firms for a response have so far been unsuccessful. Emails sent to their RoC-listed addresses have gone unanswered.
This is not the first time Indian firms have come under the scanner for alleged involvement in sanctioned oil and gas trade. In recent months, several India-registered companies have been added to OFAC’s sanctions list for their roles in facilitating energy transportation from Iran and Russia.
In October, Gabbaro Ship Services, another Indian company, was sanctioned for transporting Iranian oil. In August and September, three Indian shipping firms were blacklisted over their alleged involvement in the Arctic LNG 2 project in Russia, which is under U.S. sanctions.
The term “shadow fleet” refers to a growing number of vessels that operate in murky legal waters—often registered in countries with lax maritime oversight, such as Liberia, Panama, and the Marshall Islands. These ships are typically old, poorly insured, and maintained under dubious regulatory standards. While they enable continued trade for countries like Iran, their operation poses both environmental and geopolitical risks.
Since the imposition of renewed U.S. sanctions on Iran during former President Donald Trump’s first term in 2018, the country has ramped up its use of these unofficial networks. The strategy is designed to circumvent restrictions that prohibit most legitimate global shippers and insurers from engaging with Iran’s energy sector.
Western shipping operators have largely withdrawn from transporting oil from sanctioned countries, leaving the space open for operators from Russia, China, Greece, and lesser-known Indian and Emirati firms. The shadow fleet’s anonymity and complex ownership structures make them difficult to trace and shut down.
The latest sanctions mark the fifth wave of penalties in less than three months under the Trump administration’s revitalized “maximum pressure campaign” on Iran. This strategy is aimed at cutting off all possible revenue streams that could support Iran’s nuclear ambitions or its influence in regional conflicts.
In February, the U.S. sanctioned over 30 individuals and vessels across multiple countries, including four Indian firms. The following month, a Chinese refinery was penalized for purchasing large quantities of Iranian crude—signalling Washington’s intent to broaden its enforcement across all links of Iran’s oil supply chain.
“OFAC is committed to aggressively targeting Iran’s oil supply chain, including imposing sanctions on those enabling Iran’s export of its oil to key third countries and the wider international market,” the agency said in a statement. “These shipments rely on an intricate and extensive web of shell companies, clandestine smuggling, STS transfers, oil storage and blending, and document falsification.”
The impact of these sanctions could be far-reaching, not only for Brar and his companies but also for others operating in gray areas of global shipping and energy logistics. Being placed on the OFAC sanctions list freezes any assets under U.S. jurisdiction and prohibits American individuals or firms from engaging in business with the named entities.
Moreover, the move is likely to prompt increased scrutiny from Indian regulatory bodies, especially given that the two Chandigarh-based companies are under Indian jurisdiction. If proven to be complicit, these firms could face penalties or deregistration in India as well.
As tensions continue to rise over Iran’s nuclear program and its involvement in proxy conflicts across the Middle East, the U.S. appears determined to tighten the noose on those enabling the regime’s oil revenues. The targeting of actors from countries traditionally outside the main enforcement focus—like India and the UAE—also indicates a more global approach by the U.S. to enforce its sanctions policy.
In the coming weeks, it remains to be seen whether other firms with similar profiles will face similar penalties—and whether this latest crackdown will significantly dent the shadow fleet’s operations or merely shift them further into the shadows.
