Washington. The Trump administration on Thursday imposed sanctions on 29 ships linked to Iran’s secret petroleum shipping network. These also include several companies and operating entities linked to India, which are accused of being involved in the transportation of Iranian oil worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The US Treasury Department (Treasury) said that this action has been taken to stop the Iranian regime’s income streams which are used for terrorism and other illegal activities.
Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Piggott said, “The United States is taking steps to prevent the flow of income to the Iranian regime that is used to finance terrorism and other illicit activities.” According to the Treasury, the sanctioned network includes companies and ships operated by Egyptian businessman Hatem Elsayed Farid Ibrahim Saqr, whose activities spanned countries such as the United Arab Emirates, India, the Marshall Islands and Panama. Companies linked to Sakr were found to be linked to seven of the 29 ships.
“This action further limits Iran’s ability to export petroleum and petroleum products through covert and fraudulent means,” Pigott said. The names of the ships belonging to India have come to light, include the Barbados flag ship Flora Dolce, which is owned and managed by India-based Rukbat Marine Services Company. It is alleged that this ship has transported millions of barrels of Iranian fuel oil from April 2025 till now.
Similarly, the Panama-flagged ship Aurora, operated by India-based Golden Gate Ship Management, is accused of transporting millions of barrels of Iranian petroleum products, including naphtha and condensate. Another ship, Ramya, which is operated and managed by India’s Darya Shipping Pvt Ltd, has been accused of transporting more than 1 lakh barrels of Iranian petroleum products since September 2025. According to the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, these sanctioned ships are part of Iran’s so-called ‘Shadow Fleet’, which exports Iranian oil and petroleum products through deceptive and fraudulent shipping methods.
These ships and their associated management companies are accused of being involved in the transportation of Iranian crude oil and products such as fuel oil, bitumen, naphtha and condensate. The Treasury said these networks often created companies to own and manage individual ships in order to hide the true beneficial ownership and avoid sanctions. Several ships have been involved in the transportation of Iranian petroleum over the years, including a large quantity due in 2025.
In a separate statement, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John K. Hurley outlined the broad objectives of administration. Hurley said, “As President Trump has said many times, the United States will not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons. Treasury will continue to deprive the Iranian regime of the petroleum revenues it uses to fund its military and weapons programs.”
According to the Treasury, these new sanctions were imposed under Executive Order 13902, which targets Iran’s petroleum and petrochemical sectors. Since President Trump took office again, sanctions have been imposed on more than 180 ships, which has increased costs for Iranian oil exporters and reduced earnings per barrel.
