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Pakistani and Indian firms among six US sanctioned for Iran oil trade (Image Source: Internet)
New Delhi: The US has imposed new sanctions on six companies for being involved in oil and other petrochemical trade with Iran. Out of these six companies, two of them are from India and Pakistan, reports Dynamite News correspondent.
These banned companies also include one firm each from India and Pakistan. This move is part of the US strategy under which it wants to increase economic pressure on Iran. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Department of the Treasury has provided the information.
Illegal smuggling of Iranian oil to international markets
Alliance Energy Private Limited of Lahore, Pakistan, and Sai Saburi Consulting Services of New Delhi, India, have been sanctioned for their alleged involvement in the Iranian oil trade. OFAC says that these companies were part of a network that smuggled Iranian oil and petrochemicals to international markets, which is a violation of US sanctions.
The purpose of these sanctions is to curb Iran's economic activities, especially its nuclear program, ballistic missile production, and regional influence. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant said that the US will continue to try to undermine Iran's destabilizing activities by targeting its economic resources.
Alliance Energy Private Limited has already been blacklisted by the US. Apart from this, companies and their ships from the UAE, Iran, and Panama have also come under the purview of this action. Sai Saburi Consulting Services is accused of acting as the commercial manager of two LPG tankers—Bateleur and Nile—which were engaged in transporting Iranian oil.
Use of "shadow fleet" or "dark fleet"
The US says that Iran uses its so-called "shadow fleet" or "dark fleet" to continue exporting oil. These ships stay outside the maritime borders and transfer oil from ship to ship to hide the origin of the oil. The main target of such trade is countries like China, which are major oil buyers of Iran.
This is not the first time that such sanctions have been imposed on Indian companies. Earlier in February 2025, four other Indian companies were banned on similar charges. Apart from this, action was also taken against Gabbaro Ship Services in October 2024 and two other Indian shipping companies in December 2024.
It is worth noting that US sanctions on Iran have been in place since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, but these sanctions became more stringent after the Trump administration withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018. This pressure has intensified further after attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities by the US and Israel in recent months.
