US Hits Iran’s Oil Trade Network With New Sanctions On Ships & Operators

The US has imposed fresh sanctions on Iran’s petroleum trade network, targeting shipping companies, vessels, and terminal operators involved in the movement of Iranian crude oil.

The State Department sanctioned four entities involved in the trade of Iranian petroleum and identified two vessels as blocked property.

A Chinese terminal operator and three-vessel management companies were also designated for their role in transporting millions of barrels of Iranian oil to foreign buyers.

One of the main targets is Guangsha Zhoushan Energy Group Co. Ltd, a China-based crude oil and petroleum terminal operator located on Huangzeshan Island in Zhoushan.

According to the US authorities, this terminal has repeatedly violated American sanctions, acquiring Iranian crude oil at least nine times between 2021 and 2025.

These transactions included oil delivered by US-sanctioned tankers.

The terminal is linked to a nearby independent “teapot” refinery through the Huangzeshan-Yushan Under Sea Oil Pipeline.

The US government says that Guangsha Zhoushan has imported at least 13 million barrels of Iranian oil during this period.

In one instance, the US-designated tanker SNOW (IMO:9569619), formerly known as CHERAM and linked to the National Iranian Tanker Company, delivered around 2 million barrels to the terminal in August 2021.

In February 2025, another US-sanctioned vessel, AVENTUS I (IMO: 9280873), also known as FURY, discharged about 1 million barrels at the same terminal.

The sanctions also extend to a group of vessels and their managing companies that have been involved in transporting Iranian oil under the radar.

The term “ghost fleet” refers to ships that often operate with their Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) turned off, a tactic used to hide their location and evade detection.

Three companies have been sanctioned for managing such vessels:

Marziya Shipping OPC Pvt Ltd (India), technical/ISM manager of the vessel VIRGO since June 2021.

Rising Phoenix Provider NV, commercial manager and registered owner of VIRGO since November 2020

Valiant Marine Ventures FZE, commercial manager of the vessel AMOR since December 2021

Between 2022 and 2024, VIRGO loaded about 22 million barrels of Iranian crude oil across 11 port calls at Iran’s Kharg Island, frequently turning off its AIS system.

Meanwhile, AMOR transported over 20 million barrels of Iranian crude oil between January 2022 and January 2025, loading cargo from Iranian ports like Kharg Island, Lavan and Sirri.

It also regularly operated in the dark to evade detection. The vessels AMOR and VIRGO have been named as blocked property due to their involvement.

The Treasury has also sanctioned UAE-based shipping operator Jugwinder Singh Brar and his vast network of nearly 30 vessels operating under Prime Tankers LLC and Glory International FZ-LLC.

Brar’s fleet smuggled hundreds of millions of dollars worth of Iranian petroleum through deceptive practices.

These included high-risk ship-to-ship transfers near Iran, Iraq, UAE, and the Gulf of Oman. One such instance involved transporting over 25,000 metric tons of petroleum from Iran’s Bandar Abbas port to Oman and the UAE.

The oil was then blended with Iraqi crude at Iraq’s Khor al Zubair port and exported under falsified documents claiming it originated only from Iraq.

One of Brar’s vessels, the NADIYA, operated by Glory International, illegally shipped Iranian oil for the Iranian military in 2023.

A wide range of deceptive practices were used, including disabling AIS systems to hide the location and Iranian origin of the oil cargoes.

These vessels operated under multiple flags of convenience, including Panama, Barbados, Palau, Antigua, and Barbuda, Comoros, Gambia, and the Cook Islands. Panama alone hosted 15 of the sanctioned vessels.

Reference: US Department of Treasury

Source: Maritime Shipping News