US puts sanctions on Indian national, two India-based entities

The United States has imposed sanctions on Jugwinder Singh Brar, an Indian national based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), along with two India-based entities. These sanctions are in response to their involvement in Iran's 'shadow fleet' shipping operations. 

Brar, who owns multiple shipping companies operating nearly 30 vessels, has been transporting Iranian oil on behalf of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) and the Iranian military. The US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has taken this action to disrupt Iran's oil exports and their purported destabilising activities.

Brar's fleet of vessels engages in high-risk ship-to-ship transfers, particularly in waters near Iran, Iraq, the UAE, and the Gulf of Oman. These operations often involve disabling the vessels' Automatic Identification System to conceal their movements. 

The Iranian regime relies on shippers and brokers like Brar to facilitate its oil sales and finance destabilising activities. Brar's companies, including Global Tankers Private Limited and B and P Solutions Private Limited, have been designated for their role in these operations, involving blending Iranian oil with other products and falsifying shipping documents to obscure links to Iran.

Brar's operations have extended to collaboration with Houthi financial officials on sanctions evasion tactics. The use of smaller vessels for discreet ship-to-ship transfers allows them to bypass sanctions and hide the true origin of the oil. These actions help Iran sustain its oil sales on the international market despite US sanctions. The US has emphasised its commitment to disrupting all elements of Iran's oil exports, focusing on those who seek to profit from this trade.

As a result of the sanctions, all property and interests linked to the designated individuals and entities within the US or controlled by US persons are blocked. This restriction applies to Brar's vessels and the related entities, including Prime Tankers LLC and Glory International FZ-LLC, which oversee the fleet's operations. The sanctions, rooted in an Executive Order targeting Iran's petroleum sector, mark the fifth round of such actions since a campaign of maximum pressure on Iran was initiated.

These measures prohibit US persons or those within the US from engaging in transactions involving the property of designated individuals. Any violations of these sanctions could lead to civil or criminal penalties, underscoring the seriousness with which the US is treating these illicit activities. These sanctions aim to cut off financial avenues that enable Iran's oil trade and further destabilising activities in the region.