US Treasury expands Iran sanctions on maritime operators

US Treasury imposes Iran sanctions on Indian maritime operators and a Turkish aviation company, targeting services it says support Tehran.

The November 4 measures reach beyond petroleum shipments to the documents and operational services that Treasury says help Iranian transport networks function. The department also warned maritime businesses about sanctions exposure when dealing with ships using potentially fraudulent national registrations.

Treasury identified India-based Suniel Kumar Sharma, his wife Jaspreet Preeti Shahid, two additional Indian nationals and nine associated entities as targets. Separately, it designated Fugo Ground Services Inc in Turkey over services supplied to Iranian airlines already subject to US sanctions.

Ship registrations draw Treasury scrutiny

The allegations against Sharma and Shahid center on their purported authority to register vessels under foreign flags. Treasury said the Chandigarh-based couple falsely presented themselves as representatives of Guyana, Eswatini and Laos, enabling ships linked to Iran's military and affiliated groups to continue operating despite international restrictions.

According to the department, the network acquired internet domains and built sites advertising maritime services supposedly authorized by those countries and others. The offerings included ship registration, crew training, certification and classification, putting the alleged activity across several parts of the maritime documentation process.

Treasury also accused the couple of controlling Indian businesses used to create unauthorized registration systems. Two other individuals named in the action led businesses belonging to the couple; the supplied account does not identify those individuals or provide responses from any of the accused parties.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control accompanied the designations with an industry alert concerning vessels whose claimed flag status may be false. If companies use that warning to scrutinize registrations more closely, the immediate commercial question is whether ships can substantiate the national authority behind their documents.

Turkish services enter sanctions action

The aviation designation concerns Fugo Ground Services Inc, which Treasury said supplied airport handling and related assistance to sanctioned Iranian carriers serving Turkey. The department named Iran Air Tour, Saha Airlines, Taban Airlines and Ata Airlines among the airlines receiving those services.

That allegation differs from the maritime case: Treasury accused Fugo of supporting designated airlines, rather than operating a fraudulent documentation business. The supplied material contains no response from Fugo and gives no revenue, contract value or measure of its dependence on Iranian airline customers.

Oil pressure extends across transport

Treasury placed the measures within the Trump administration's “Operation Economic Outcast,” a campaign intended to constrain Iranian petroleum revenue available to finance the war involving Iran, the US and Israel. The action combines pressure on shipping-related businesses with restrictions aimed at aviation support.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent signaled that enforcement would continue across transport sectors. “We know where you are, and we will sanction those who continue supporting the Iranian regime, whether by land, sea, or air,” he said in a statement.

Whether the designations interrupt oil shipments or airline operations is unresolved. If affected operators lose access to documentation or ground services, their ability to maintain transport activity could narrow; the supplied material provides no shipment volumes, flight cancellations or replacement-service arrangements establishing that such disruption has occurred.