The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned Jugwinder Singh Brar, an Indian national based in the United Arab Emirates, who owns several shipping companies operating a fleet of nearly 30 vessels. Many of these ships are part of the Iranian regime’s so-called “ghost fleet.”
Simultaneously, the U.S. Department of State imposed sanctions on four companies for conducting major transactions related to the purchase, sale, transportation, or marketing of Iranian oil or petroleum products, and designated two of their vessels as blocked property.
In a statement released on Thursday, April 11, the U.S. Department of the Treasury also announced sanctions against two companies based in the United Arab Emirates and two companies based in India. These firms either own or operate ships tied to Singh Brar and have been transporting Iranian oil on behalf of the National Iranian Oil Company and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
These sanctions come as the United States and Iran’s regime are scheduled to hold direct negotiations in Oman on Saturday, April 12. On Wednesday, the U.S. Treasury also imposed sanctions on five companies and the CEO of one of them for their ties to Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization.
According to the U.S. Treasury, ships managed by Singh Brar have participated in risky ship-to-ship transfer operations in waters around Iraq, Iran, the UAE, and the Gulf of Oman. These cargoes are then handed off to intermediaries who blend Iranian oil or fuel with products from other countries and falsify shipping documents to conceal their Iranian origin. This process enables the shipments to enter global markets.
Scott Bessent, the U.S. Treasury official, said on the matter:
“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. The United States remains focused on disrupting all elements of Iran’s oil exports, particularly those who seek to profit from this trade.”
This action was carried out under Executive Order 13902, which targets Iran’s oil and petrochemical sectors. It marks the fifth round of sanctions against Iranian oil sales since U.S. President Donald Trump issued the executive order on February 4, 2025, to resume the maximum pressure policy against the Iranian regime.
In its statement, the U.S. Treasury declared its firm determination to aggressively target the Iranian regime’s oil sales network, including sanctioning individuals and entities that facilitate Iranian oil exports to third countries and the global market. The network involves complex shell companies, covert smuggling, ship-to-ship transfers, storage and blending of oil, and document forgery.
