Iran Watch
WASHINGTON — US has announced fresh sanctions targeting six companies and several vessels allegedly involved in the sale and transport of Iranian petroleum and petrochemical products. Among the sanctioned entities are firms based in India and Pakistan, as Washington ramps up efforts to tighten economic pressure on Tehran.
The sanctions, revealed jointly by the US State Department and the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), are aimed at a network of shipping and management companies accused of facilitating Iran’s covert oil trade in violation of longstanding US sanctions.
This latest action comes in the wake of recent joint Israeli and US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, and underscores Washington’s commitment to continuing the “maximum pressure” policy first implemented during the Trump administration.
“The Treasury will continue to target Tehran’s revenue sources and intensify economic pressure to disrupt the regime’s access to the financial resources that fuel its destabilizing activities,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement accompanying the announcement.
Among the newly sanctioned entities is SAI Saburi Consulting Services, a company based in New Delhi, India. The firm is accused of acting as the commercial manager for two liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tankers—BATELEUR and NEEL—linked to the transport of Iranian petroleum products.
According to the Treasury, in September 2022, the tanker BATELEUR transported petroleum products from Iran on behalf of Alliance Energy Co., a company already subject to US sanctions.
Also sanctioned is Alliance Energy Pvt Ltd, a Lahore-based firm in Pakistan, which has been previously blacklisted for its involvement in the Iranian oil trade. The US Treasury reaffirmed the company’s role in facilitating Iranian oil exports in defiance of American restrictions.
In addition to these South Asian firms, the sanctions also target a series of companies and vessels based in the United Arab Emirates, Iran, and Panama. These entities are accused of operating vessels and providing services that contribute to Iran’s ability to secretly export oil and petrochemicals, bypassing international sanctions.
The new designations add to a growing list of individuals and companies facing US sanctions for supporting Iran’s energy sector, which remains a critical source of revenue for the Iranian government. As part of these sanctions, the targeted entities will have any US-based assets frozen, and American individuals and businesses will be barred from engaging in transactions with them.
The measures are part of a broader US strategy to choke off financial and logistical support for Iran’s oil exports, which Washington says are used to fund destabilizing activities across the Middle East.
