The U.S. Treasury Department on Nov. 4 sanctioned people and entities in India, Singapore and Türkiye over an alleged registry scheme for Iran-linked tankers and a ground handler’s ties to six Iranian airlines.
Treasury identified Suniel Kumar Sharma and his wife, Jaspreet Preeti Shahid, as people behind the network. The department said websites linked to it offered vessel registrations, seafarer certificates and vessel classifications without authorization from the governments whose authority they claimed. Treasury traced the pair’s activity to a 2014 attempt to impersonate Dominica’s maritime authority.
Some vessels carrying Iranian petroleum operated on behalf of Iran’s military or its proxies, Treasury said. The designations also included Indian nationals Ashwani Kumar Dhiman and Ishwinder Singh, whom the department described as nominal directors in Sharma’s businesses, and related entities in India and Singapore.
Separately, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Fugo Ground Services Inc., a Türkiye-based company. Treasury cited direct service agreements with six U.S.-sanctioned Iranian airlines that continue to fly to Türkiye.
The measures were issued under Executive Order 13902. They block covered property under U.S. jurisdiction and generally bar U.S. persons from transactions involving designated parties.
The department said the ships’ lack of valid protection and indemnity cover could leave coastal states with billions of dollars in exposure after an accident. An OFAC industry alert urged maritime businesses to check whether vessels may be falsely flagged.
