Two Indian firms and nationals have been sanctioned by the US for operating as Iran’s shadow oil network, according to reports. They include Maharashtra-based R N Ship Management Private Limited and Pune-based TR6 Petro India LLP.
The Indian nationals who were sanctioned have been identified as Zair Husain Iqbal Husain Sayed and Zulfikar Hussain Rizvi Sayed.
The sanctions that come as part of the US effort to block Iran’s funding, which it alleges is used for carrying out nuclear activities and to fund the militant groups operating in the region, including Hamas and Hezbollah.
According to the US State Department, TR6 Petro imported more than USD 8 million worth of Iranian-origin bitumen between October 2024 and June 2025. The firm has been designated under Executive Order 13846 for taking part in a significant transaction involving Iranian petroleum products.
As for RN Ship Management, the company is said to have operated vessels carrying Iranian crude oil for Sepehr Energy, another Indian firm that has already been sanctioned for its links to Iran’s military.
RN Ship Management was listed because it was believed to have managed vessels carrying Iranian crude on behalf of Iranian company Sepehr Energy Jahan Nama Pars Company, which is already under US sanctions for its links to Iran’s military. The US had alleged that the firm had used an array of front companies and shadow fleet vessels to obfuscate its illicit activities and sell billions of dollars’ worth of Iranian oil annually.
Earlier, the US had sanctioned a United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based Indian national, Jugwinder Singh, accusing vessels owned by the shipping tycoon of operating as Iran’s "shadow fleet." The Trump administration said Brar’s vessels engaged in "high-risk ship-to-ship (STS) transfers of Iranian petroleum in waters off Iraq, Iran, the UAE, and the Gulf of Oman." These cargoes were then taken to other facilitators who blended the oil or fuel with products from other countries. Thereby, they could falsify shipping documents to conceal links to Iran. This way, the oil could reach the international market.
In total, the State Department listed 17 entities, individuals, and vessels, while the US Treasury added 41 more connected to Iran’s petroleum and petrochemical trade.
So far, the US has sanctioned over 170 tankers, including the additional sanctions imposed against six vessels allegedly part of Iran’s shadow fleet.
The US had also announced it would be sanctioning Iranian airline Mahan Air, which has “worked closely with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF) to arm and supply Iran-backed terrorist groups throughout the Middle East.
