US Imposes Sanctions on Iran Shadow Fleet Registry and Turkish Aviation Firm

The United States announced sweeping sanctions targeting 13 individuals and entities linked to a network accused of supplying false flag registrations and forged documents to Iran's "shadow fleet," alongside separate penalties against a Turkish aviation services provider. The coordinated measures aim to dismantle mechanisms enabling Tehran to export petroleum and evade U.S. restrictions.

According to the State Department, the sprawling network is led by India-based Sunil Kumar Sharma and his wife, Jaspreet Preet Shahid. For over a decade, the pair established shell companies masquerading as maritime registries and service providers claiming to represent nations and territories including Guyana, Eswatini, Aruba, Mali, Mozambique, and East Timor. These entities allegedly sold fraudulent vessel registrations and certifications to ships transporting Iranian oil in defiance of international sanctions.

Treasury Department officials stated that the network created sophisticated websites falsely claiming authorization to issue maritime documentation, conduct seafarer training, and provide vessel classification. The illicit paperwork was reportedly utilized by vessels operating on behalf of the Iranian military and its regional proxies. U.S. authorities warned that the deployment of false flags bypasses essential safety and environmental standards, leaving uninsured shadow fleet vessels operating without valid liability coverage and posing billions of dollars in potential ecological and economic risks to coastal states.

In the aviation sector, sanctions were imposed on Turkey-based Fugo Ground Services. U.S. officials stated that the company maintains direct service agreements with six designated Iranian airlines, including Iran Air Tours, Saha, Sepahan, Varesh, Taban, and Ata, having initiated services to several carriers shortly after their blacklisting in September. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that Washington will aggressively penalize entities facilitating the Iranian regime across land, sea, and air.

The action forms part of an ongoing maximum pressure campaign designed to sever revenues utilized by Tehran to finance terrorism and regional proxies. Concurrently, the Office of Foreign Assets Control issued an industry-wide advisory highlighting compliance risks associated with vessels utilizing fraudulent flags and illicit maritime documentation.