The ships don’t sail under Iranian flags, but they carry its oil. And now, the United States is going after them.

On Thursday, the U.S. Treasury Department unveiled new sanctions aimed at what it called Iran’s “shadow fleet” — a web of vessels operating in disguise, helping Tehran move oil in defiance of global restrictions. At the center of it is Jugwinder Singh Brar, a UAE-based Indian national who controls nearly 30 ships through companies registered in the United Arab Emirates and India.

According to the Treasury, these ships have been conducting high-risk transfers at sea, shifting Iranian petroleum in the waters off Iraq, Iran, the UAE, and the Gulf of Oman. The department says Brar’s fleet has directly supported Iran’s national oil company and its military.

“The Iranian regime relies on its network of unscrupulous shippers and brokers like Brar and his companies,” said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, “to enable its oil sales and finance its destabilizing activities.”

The four newly sanctioned companies are accused of owning and operating the vessels, with U.S. officials warning that these kinds of operations allow Iran to quietly sidestep sanctions and sustain its revenue streams.

This move comes as part of a broader American effort to apply pressure on Iran’s oil exports, especially as diplomacy over its nuclear programme shows little sign of progress.

Washington insists the pressure will continue, especially on actors who profit from the trade.

“The United States remains focused on disrupting all elements of Iran’s oil exports,” Bessent said, “particularly those who seek to profit from this trade.”

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