The United States on Friday announced sanctions against 15 entities involved in Iran’s oil and petrochemicals sector, saying the revenue is being used for “destabilizing activities” around the world, citing unrest in the country.
The move comes moments after Oman’s meeting with Iran ended.
An Indian company and an Indian citizen were also included in the sanctions.
India-based Elevate Marine Management Private Limited serves as the commercial manager of the Cameroon-flagged oil tanker Benedict, which carried Iranian oil products at least three times between September and November 2025, according to the foreign ministry.
Akash Anant Shinde, an Indian national, is a Director of Elevate.
Why did it impose sanctions?
“The State Department is sanctioning 15 entities, two individuals, and 14 shadow fleet vessels linked to the illicit trade in Iranian oil, petroleum products, and petrochemicals. These targets have generated revenue that the regime uses to carry out its malign activities,” said Tommy Pigott, senior deputy spokesman for the US State Department.
It said 14 Shadow Fleet vessels involved in the transportation of Iranian oil, petroleum products and petrochemicals had been designated as frozen assets. She explained that Iran relies on a network of illegal transporters across different jurisdictions who use deceptive practices to move these commodities to buyers in other countries.
The statement accused Iran’s leadership of prioritizing global destabilization and internal repression over the well-being of its citizens and maintaining the country’s deteriorating infrastructure.
She added that as long as Iran continues to seek to circumvent sanctions to obtain oil and petrochemical revenues for what it described as repressive actions and support for terrorist groups and proxies, the United States will continue to hold Tehran and its associates accountable.
The statement ended by underscoring Trump’s determination to curb Iran’s oil exports, noting, “The President is committed to curbing the Iranian regime’s illicit exports of oil and petrochemicals as part of the administration’s maximum pressure campaign.”
Meanwhile, the sanctions come after the US imposed measures on Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni and several other officials in January, citing Tehran’s violent crackdown on recent anti-government protests.
Announcing the action, the U.S. Treasury Department said Momeni “oversees the murderous Islamic Republic of Iran (LEF) law enforcement forces, a key entity responsible for the deaths of thousands of peaceful protesters.
The sanctions also target several senior officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iranian investor Babak Morteza Zanjani, who is accused of “embezzling billions of funds from the Iranian people”.
“In a first-of-its-kind move, the Treasury Department also imposed restrictions on Zanjani-linked digital currency exchanges that processed large volumes of funds linked to IRGC-linked counterparties,” the statement added.
